dozen
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
plural
dozens,plural
dozen-
a group of 12.
-
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
determiner
noun
-
in large quantities
-
See baker's dozen
-
to talk without stopping
Other Word Forms
- dozenth adjective
Etymology
Origin of dozen1
1325–75; Middle English (Scots); doze 1
Origin of dozen1
1250–1300; Middle English dozeine < Old French do ( u ) zaine, equivalent to do ( u ) ze (< Latin duodecim ) + -aine (< Latin -āna ) -an
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Stoschek’s foundation has supported dozens of exhibitions, including two of Germany’s pavilions at the Venice Biennale, and runs public museums in Düsseldorf and Berlin.
From Los Angeles Times
I used this strategy nearly two dozen times, and not once did someone sit next to me, even on flights that looked close to full.
From Los Angeles Times
In about a dozen cases, the justices have thrown out lawsuits against federal officers who were accused of violating constitutional rights.
Argentina has announced dozens of tax amnesties over the years, only for the rules to be reversed by subsequent governments, which sometimes chase down Argentines for the assets and cash they just declared.
It had to be maybe a dozen people, which is a waste, Jimmy, of resources ...
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
