doze

¹

[ dohz ]

verb (used without object)

dozed, dozing.

1. to sleep lightly or fitfully.
2. to fall into a light sleep unintentionally (often followed by off ):

   He dozed off during the sermon.

3. to sleep for a short time; nap.
4. to be dull or half asleep.

verb (used with object)

dozed, dozing.

1. to pass or spend (time) in drowsiness (often followed by away ):

   He dozed away the afternoon.

noun

1. a light or fitful sleep; nap.

   Synonyms: forty winks, catnap, siesta, snooze

doze

²

[ dohz ]

verb (used with or without object)

dozed, dozing.

1. Informal. to clear or level with a bulldozer.

doze

/ dəʊz /

verb

1. to sleep lightly or intermittently
2. often foll by off to fall into a light sleep

noun

1. a short sleep

Derived Forms

• ˈdozer, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of doze¹

1640–50; originally (now obsolete) to stupefy, make drowsy; compare Scots, N England dialect dozened, Middle English ( Scots ) dosnyt, dosinnit stupefied, dazed; akin to Old Norse dūsa rest, Swedish dialect dusa doze, slumber, Middle Low German dusen to be thoughtless; daze

Origin of doze²

First recorded in 1940–45; shortened form of bulldoze

Word History and Origins

Origin of doze¹

C17: probably from Old Norse dūs lull; related to Danish döse to drowse, Swedish dialect dusa slumber

Example Sentences

He claimed Ms Thomas had started watching the erotic film 50 Shades of Grey in the living room whilst he went to the bedroom and dozed.

From BBC

Willie the goat was roaming around a parking lot on a leash, and Penelope the pig dozed quietly in a carrier.

From Los Angeles Times

By late afternoon, Fernandez is dozing in his chair, mouth agape, hands clasped in his lap.

From Los Angeles Times

These six podcasts offer respites for your brain, delivering tales that are diverting enough to keep you focused, but uneventful enough that you can doze off.

From New York Times

She was home at 9 p.m. and quickly dozed off, but within hours, she woke her mother up.

From Salon

Related Words

• drift off
• nod off
• snooze