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View synonyms for dozen

dozen

1

[ duhz-uhn ]

noun

, plural doz·ens, (as after a numeral) doz·en.
  1. a group of 12.
  2. 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

dozen

2

[ doh-zuhn ]

verb (used with object)

, Scot.
  1. to stun.

dozen

/ ˈdʌzən /

determiner

  1. preceded bya or a numeral
    1. twelve or a group of twelve

      a 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

“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


noun

  1. by the dozen
    in large quantities
  2. talk nineteen to the dozen
    to talk without stopping
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈdozenth, adjective
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Word History and Origins

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); doze 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dozen1

C13: from Old French douzaine, from douze twelve, from Latin duodecim, from duo two + decem ten
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Example Sentences

Typically, by this time of year, we’re talking dozens per 100,000 every week.

Even with the over half-dozen shots that have now been approved around the globe, it’s unlikely that you’ll get to choose for some time yet.

Now, my Texas family buys their tamales — by the many dozens, so that they have enough to feed anyone who happens to stop by.

In some cases, the model is being exceptionally conservative because of a lack of polling in the state, but the first dozen on the list are realistic pickup opportunities for Democrats.

There’s a dozen ways to end your career in Disco Elysium, and only a few actually involve solving the case.

From Time

Perhaps on his own nowadays, Epstein is trying his best to webmaster over a dozen URLs.

A dozen Revolutionary Guards were caught deep inside Pakistan, tracking Rigi.

Another picture showed him surrounded by a dozen or so fighters—some masked and others laughing.

A gifted marketer, he sent samples of the hat to merchandisers all over the West, asking for a minimum order of a dozen.

Six months after we spoke, more than two-dozen have successfully qualified, and won the same exemption.

There were at least a dozen ladies seated round the big table at the Parsonage.

I ask for half a dozen projectors or so in every school, and for a well-stocked storehouse of films.

Before we had all fired, Fanning and a dozen of his sharpest men had again loaded, and were by our side.

We had half a dozen passengers to Ferrara; for the rest of the way, I had this extensive traveling establishment to myself.

Our class has swelled to about a dozen persons now, and a good many others come and play to him once or twice and then go.

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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.

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dozeddozens