dozen

¹ American  

[duhz-uhn] / ˈdʌz ən /

noun

plural

dozens,

plural

dozen

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

• 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); doze ¹

Example Sentences

If half a dozen people show up on a street corner with signs, they are mostly ignored.

From The Wall Street Journal

It may set an example for other strongmen too: Max is now available for download in dozens of countries allied with Moscow.

From The Wall Street Journal

Inside the fossil, scientists also found dozens of gastroliths, small stones that the dinosaur swallowed to help digest food.

From Science Daily

Baidu operates its Apollo Go driverless taxi service in dozens of cities across the world, mostly in China.

From BBC

Coca was one of the dozens of applicants who drop in daily to Los Angeles County’s One-Stop Permit Center for Eaton fire rebuilding.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• twelve