dozen

1
[ duhz-uhn ]
See synonyms for dozen on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural doz·ens, (as after a numeral) doz·en.
  1. a group of 12.

  2. the dozens, Slang. a ritualized game typically engaged in by two persons each of whom attempts to outdo the other in insults directed against members of the other's family (usually used in the phrase play the dozens).

adjective

Origin of dozen

1
1250–1300; Middle English dozeine<Old French do(u)zaine, equivalent to do(u)ze (<Latin duodecim) + -aine (<Latin -āna) -an

Words Nearby dozen

Other definitions for dozen (2 of 2)

dozen2
[ doh-zuhn ]

verb (used with object)Scot.
  1. to stun.

Origin of dozen

2
1325–75; Middle English (Scots); see doze1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dozen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dozen

dozen

/ (ˈdʌzən) /


determiner
  1. (preceded by a or a numeral)

    • twelve or a group of twelve: a dozen eggs; two dozen oranges

    • (as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural): give me a dozen; there are at least a dozen who haven't arrived yet

nounplural dozens or dozen
  1. by the dozen in large quantities

  1. talk nineteen to the dozen to talk without stopping

Origin of dozen

1
C13: from Old French douzaine, from douze twelve, from Latin duodecim, from duo two + decem ten

Derived forms of dozen

  • dozenth, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with dozen

dozen

see baker's dozen; by the dozen; daily dozen; dime a dozen; six of one, half dozen of the other.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.