dozen
1 Americannoun
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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:
According to Akhil, around a dozen riders have collectively delivered hundreds of orders in recent days.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
It, along with about half a dozen other felines, are constantly on the hunt, Soto said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The companies now face an antitrust lawsuit from a dozen states including California and New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Fewer than a dozen planning applications, out of about 25,000 in Wales, are called in each year - a process which means ministers make the final decision not a council.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
And the postman and the trolley motorman and half a dozen policemen from the Haarlem Police Headquarters just around the corner.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
In dozens of strikes since this spring, Ukraine has pounded oil refineries across its larger neighbor, knocking more than one-quarter of Russian refining capacity offline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Along some streets, flies gather near fruit-bearing trees or on parked cars, making it difficult to pass through without swatting at dozens of them in the air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
He added that in the longer term, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which Greer tapped to propose duties on dozens of countries, provides "more flexibility than people realize."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The U.S. also has similar agreements with dozens of other countries.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
Within days, the island was dotted with dozens of deep ponds.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
