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

1. twelve.

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

noun

1. by the dozen
   in large quantities
2. See baker's dozen
3. talk nineteen to the dozen
   to talk without stopping

Derived Forms

• ˈdozenth, adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dozen¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

Example Sentences

Another showed men smiling to the camera as they pointed to at least a dozen others on a boat travelling rapidly over the water.

From BBC

Six of one, half a dozen of another.

From Los Angeles Times

Last week in Columbus, Ohio, a dozen or so people marched through the city waving Nazi flags and yelling racial epithets.

From Los Angeles Times

More than a dozen of the newly elected women won seats held by men, many of who were forced out of office by term limits.

From Los Angeles Times

These tactics helped shutter nearly 2,200 pharmacies between December 2017 and December 2020, leaving dozens of communities, many of them rural, with limited access to medication.

From Salon

Related Words

• twelve
• xii