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

See Examples For:

dozen dozens

The decision came after a five-day preliminary hearing, in which Los Angeles prosecutors questioned a dozen witnesses and displayed photographic evidence as 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez's family watched on.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Kent estimates that he has rebuilt that truck’s engine about half a dozen times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Since the early 1990s, the U.S. has recorded just a few dozen or hundred cases of measles each year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

A case in point: Wall Street fund companies have launched over a dozen ETFs that aimed to use AI to pick securities, such as stocks, and beat the market.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

The dozen younger alpacas around them lowered their heads as their papa alpaca stomped on the mound of grass.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Late last week, prosecutors published dozens of text messages taken from the phone that showed Burke impregnated Hernandez, leading to an abortion in early 2024.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

On a boat off the coast of California, Sara Lesser gazes wistfully at dozens of dolphins playing in the vessel's wake.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

The video showed dozens of people following a black SUV past my home in Minneapolis, blowing whistles and shouting.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Outside, the parcel is lined with dozens of palm trees to ensure complete privacy, while a dramatic gated courtyard provides an idyllic place to relax away from prying eyes.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Unbelievably, at the far back, I see dozens on foot.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• twelve