dozen
1 Americannoun
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dozens,
plural
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dozen
plural
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a group of 12.
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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
verb (used with object)
determiner
noun
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in large quantities
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See baker's dozen
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to talk without stopping
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing dozen
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.
See Examples For:
By mid-November, Anthropic and its team of nearly two dozen bankers will likely start making their pitch more directly to potential investors through what’s known as a roadshow.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
It comes after more than a dozen primary schools in Aberdeenshire and Rothiemay Primary School, in Moray, were closed on Monday due to a lack of power.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Around a square formation of plastic folding tables sat about a dozen Haitian immigrants, still here, old women and men, young parents and children.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
The Fly&Vote operation includes around 20 full-time staff and more than 50 volunteers who coordinate with airlines and travel agencies and organized half a dozen flights to bring voters back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
There was another long wait until a nurse appeared to lead her and half a dozen others into the hospital proper.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Several hectares of vegetation have been cleared, new operational areas have appeared around the airfield and dozens of structures consistent with rapidly deployable military tents have been installed inside the complex.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
During the Emergency in the 1970s, when civil liberties were suspended and the press was tightly controlled, Abu Abraham continued drawing, even as dozens of his cartoons were stamped "not passed by censors".
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
The film is also expected to hit dozens of international markets in the coming weeks, which is expected to boost its box office revenue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
On the wall of his modest office are photos of dozens of Russian suspects as well as the Ukrainian victims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Headmarveller Rivera led the way to the entry hall, where dozens of reporters clustered.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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