dozen

1
[ duhz-uh n ]
/ ˈdʌz ən /

noun, plural doz·ens, (as after a numeral) doz·en.

a group of 12.
the dozens, Slang. 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 phrase play the dozens).

adjective

twelve.

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Origin of dozen

1
1250–1300; Middle English dozeine < Old French do(u)zaine, equivalent to do(u)ze (< Latin duodecim) + -aine (< Latin -āna) -an

Words nearby dozen

doyley, doz., doze, doze off, dozed, dozen, dozens, dozenth, dozer, dozy, doña

Definition for dozens (2 of 2)

dozen2
[ doh-zuh n ]
/ ˈdoʊ zən /

verb (used with object) Scot.

to stun.

Origin of dozen

2
1325–75; Middle English (Scots); see doze1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to dozens

twelve

Example sentences from the Web for dozens

British Dictionary definitions for dozens (1 of 2)

dozens
/ (ˈdʌzənz) /

pl n

(usually foll by of) informal a lotI've got dozens of things to do

British Dictionary definitions for dozens (2 of 2)

dozen
/ (ˈdʌzən) /

determiner

(preceded by a or a numeral)
  1. twelve or a group of twelvea 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

noun plural dozens or dozen

by the dozen in large quantities
See baker's dozen
talk nineteen to the dozen to talk without stopping
See also dozens

Derived forms of dozen

dozenth, adjective

Word Origin for dozen

C13: from Old French douzaine, from douze twelve, from Latin duodecim, from duo two + decem ten
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with dozens

dozen

see baker's dozen; by the dozen; daily dozen; dime a dozen; six of one, half dozen of the other.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.