half-dozen

[ half-duhz-uhn, hahf- ]

noun
  1. one half of a dozen; six.

adjective
  1. considering six as a unit; consisting of six.

Origin of half-dozen

1
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Words Nearby half-dozen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use half-dozen in a sentence

  • Yet, somehow, I felt that if I could but get a half-dozen men to take a firm stand with me, I might hold the rioters in check.

    Mrs. Falchion, Complete | Gilbert Parker
  • For one hour a half-dozen guards went over the tracks looking for bombs and then they came into our coupé looking for spies.

    Ways of War and Peace | Delia Austrian
  • It was covered with iron five or six inches thick, and carried a half-dozen big guns.

  • Cicero had considerable libraries not only in his house at Rome, but also at every one of his half-dozen country seats.

    The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone Johnston
  • He glanced swiftly at the half-dozen wives present, but their expressions showed no jealousy.

    The Envoy, Her | Horace Brown Fyfe

British Dictionary definitions for half-dozen

half-dozen

determiner
  1. (preceded by a)

    • six or a group of six: a half-dozen roses

    • (as pronoun; functioning as singular or plural): at least a half-dozen

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