doze

1 of 2

verb (1)

dozed; dozing

intransitive verb

1
a
: to sleep lightly
b
: to fall into a light sleep
usually used with off
2
: to be in a dull or stupefied condition

transitive verb

: to pass (time) drowsily
doze noun

doze

2 of 2

verb (2)

dozed; dozing

Examples of doze in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In a large church displaying a big blue cross near the Acapulco beachfront, dozens of people dozed in sleeping bags along the pews, prayed in silence or anxiously discussed their next move. Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2023 This tome—my copy comes to nine hundred and seventy-five pages—accompanies Helen and Rose through their day, between cries, bounces, park walks, lots of looking, thinking, some panicking, dozing, and a number of cups of tea. Audrey Wollen, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2023 Medford got her wish, spending two weeks on 12 acres of land, all by herself except for the owner’s yellow lab, who would often doze on the porch. Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2023 At Chicago’s 15th District police station recently, a newborn dozed on a rainbow-print blanket laid on the floor near the reception desk. Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2023 At the end of the episode, 86-year-old Betty dozed in the backseat as her granddaughter drove her through Riverdale one last time. Kelly Martinez, Peoplemag, 24 Aug. 2023 Sharing a sweet selfie with youngest son Wren Alexander, 4 weeks, on Sunday, the Cravings cookbook author, 37, looked content as her baby boy dozed against her chest. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 17 July 2023 Our babies, toddlers, tweens, and teens dreamed and dozed on these foam, spring, and hybrid mattresses. Sabrina Rojas Weiss, Parents, 11 July 2023 Developers advise that users keep phones plugged in to a charger all night and place them face-down. Upon awaking, the app categorizes users' sleep into three types — dozing, snoozing, and slumbering — which will attract Pokémon whose sleeping patterns match. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse dūsa to doze

Verb (2)

probably back-formation from dozer (bulldozer)

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1677, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Verb (2)

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of doze was in 1677

Dictionary Entries Near doze

Cite this Entry

“Doze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doze. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

doze

verb
ˈdōz
dozed; dozing
: to sleep lightly
doze noun
dozer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on doze

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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