dozen

¹ American  

[duhz-uhn] / ˈdʌz ən /

noun

dozens plural

1. a group of 12.

2. Slang. the dozens, 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 phraseplay the dozens ).

---

adjective

1. twelve.

dozen ² American  

[doh-zuhn] / ˈdoʊ zən /

verb (used with object)

Scot.

1. to stun.

---

dozen British  

/ ˈdʌzən /

determiner

1. 1. twelve or a group of twelve

      a dozen eggs

      two dozen oranges

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )

      give me a dozen

      there are at least a dozen who haven't arrived yet

---

noun

1. in large quantities

2. See baker's dozen

3. to talk without stopping

dozen Idioms  

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

---

Other Word Forms

• dozenth
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of dozen¹

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

Origin of dozen²

1325–75; Middle English (Scots); see doze ¹

Explanation

A dozen is twelve. If you buy a dozen doughnuts for six people, everyone will get to eat two of them. When you buy a dozen of something, you'll end up with twelve items. Your cat might, amazingly, have a dozen kittens, leading you to make a dozen phone calls trying to find homes for them all. Sometimes people use the word dozens to generically mean "a whole lot," as when you gasp, "There are dozens of seagulls sitting on my car!" Dozen has a Latin root, duodecim, "twelve."

Example Sentences

Though nearly a dozen candidates for various offices were invited, Villegas and two other Democrats running for legislative seats were the only ones to attend.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Samsung's value topped $1 trillion this month, followed by Korean rival SK hynix and US chipmaker Micron -- newcomers to a previously exclusive club of around a dozen companies, nearly all American.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

He noted that about a third of the units were leased and a few dozen occupied full-time.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

In recent weeks we have spoken to more than a dozen former patients, admitted as young people or as adults, who say they experienced failures in the standard of care at TEWV.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

She didn’t cry or yell or spew out a dozen sentences in one second.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• twelve