dozen

¹ American  

[duhz-uhn] / ˈdʌz ən /

noun

dozens, plural dozen 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 ).

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adjective

1. twelve.

dozen ² American  

[doh-zuhn] / ˈdoʊ zən /

verb (used with object)

Scot.

1. to stun.

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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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dozenth
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dozen
  plural
• dozens
  plural

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

As a former writer for his employer’s website, Abnernathy links his layoff — as well as pink slips for two dozen former colleagues — to AI’s rise.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 11, 2026

A dozen Pacific countries have protested the missile test, including small nations that borrowed from China for their infrastructure, and its closest Pacific security partner, the Solomon Islands.

From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026

The plane maker has already built about two dozen of the MAX 7 jets for Southwest, according to flight-data provider Cirium.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026

The Mexican government says it will file criminal complaints in the United States over the deaths of more than a dozen of its citizens in US custody.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026

The wooden pier, unused for a dozen years, jutted several hundred feet out from shore.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Related Words

• twelve