doozy

noun doo·zy \ ˈdü-zē \

variants: or doozie or less commonly doozer play \-zər\

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of doozy

plural doozies or doozers

: an extraordinary one of its kind

a real doozy of a snowstorm

See doozy defined for English-language learners

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Examples of doozy in a Sentence

They say the snowstorm tonight is going to be a doozy.
Watch out for that first step. It's a doozy.
Some of her comments have been real doozies.
a doozy of a year

Recent Examples of doozy from the Web

This time-jumping action series is a bit of a doozy.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Make Sure You Don't Miss These 13 TV Shows and Movies This Week," 1 Apr. 2018
As pranks go, the case of the missing sport coat is a doozy.

— david waldstein, New York Times, "The Coach, the Rivalry and the Stolen Blazer," 29 Mar. 2018
Nike have unveiled Brazil's new kits and clothing line ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup - and the new threads are an absolute doozy.

— SI.com, "PHOTO: Nike Unveil Superb 1970s Inspired Brazil Kits & Apparel Ahead of World Cup," 21 Mar. 2018
Ah, but that one defeat was a doozy for the Swiss great: a straight-set shellacking in the semifinals of the 2014 U.S. Open, which Cilic went on to win.

— douglas perry, OregonLive.com, "Roger Federer has advantage in Australian Open final, but Marin Cilic's power is dangerous: preview," 26 Jan. 2018
Please try to follow along, because this one is a doozy, even for the Texas Rangers: The club announced Saturday morning, the final morning of spring training, that Bartolo Colon had been released from his minor-league deal.

— jeff wilson, star-telegram, "Will he or won't he? Colon at center of Rangers' final roster moves," 24 Mar. 2018
For Tom Berlin, Friday was one doozy of a birthday.

— mike klingaman, baltimoresun.com, "The man who named the UMBC mascot turned 70 on day of historic NCAA tournament win," 18 Mar. 2018
Well, This Is Us fans, the season two finale was a doozy.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "This Is Us Season 3: Everything We Know So Far," 14 Mar. 2018
Even Rick Smith pulled off a doozy before his recent departure.

— dale robertson, San Antonio Express-News, "Best trades in Houston’s sports history," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'doozy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

While it's often maintained that the word doozy derives from the "Duesenberg" in the name of the famed Duesenberg Motor Company, this is impossible on chronological grounds. Doozy was first recorded (in the form dozy) in eastern Ohio in 1916, four years before the Duesenberg Motor Company began to manufacture passenger cars; the related adjective doozy, meaning "stylish" or "splendid," is attested considerably earlier, in 1903. So where did doozy come from? Etymologists believe that it's an altered form of the word daisy, which was used especially in the late 1800s as a slang term for someone or something considered the best.