doze

verb \ ˈdōz \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Definition of doze

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

—

dozer

noun

Recent Examples of doze from the Web

Haymore dozed off at an official dinner after 36 hours of travel, and McAuliffe punched him in the leg to wake him up.

— Washington Post, "Va.’s McAuliffe is leaving office as master salesman, but his legacy will take years to play out," 10 Jan. 2018
The east side of City Hall has been occupied since Friday, following a bike-dozing by the Philadelphia Police that forced protestors from their original camps on 8th and Cherry Streets, outside the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

— Philly.com, "ICE protestors outside City Hall battle heat, loss of electricity," 9 July 2018
Some smiling, some dozing in foil blankets, the 12 boys trapped in a cave in northern Thailand were captured on new videos released Wednesday as navy medics tended to their wounds and divers continued to prepare them for a possible swim to safety.

— george styllis, latimes.com, "Thai boys practicing with diving masks, but it's still too early to attempt evacuation," 4 July 2018
Hours after Baldwin’s health update, the new mother shared a sweet photo of little Romeo dozing off while resting on her chest.

— maria pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Hilaria Baldwin Gives Update on Her Family's Health While Breastfeeding Newborn Son," 28 May 2018
The ease of dozing through a morning commute or otherwise not paying attention to the task of controlling a car may prove so enticing as to promote longer or more frequent trips — keeping vehicles on the road more, not less.

— john gallagher, chicagotribune.com, "Driverless cars may make traffic worse, not better," 10 Apr. 2018
When Kate Middleton arrived at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London on Monday, cameras captured the 2-month-old Prince Louis adorably dozing in her arms, completely unaware of the fanfare surrounding the day.

— megan mccluskey, Time, "Royal Baby Prince Louis Slept Like a Total Baby at His Christening," 9 July 2018
Then the researchers put the platform back, allowing the fur seals to doze out of the water again.

— carl zimmer, New York Times, "Hot Heads: Why Mammals Need R.E.M. Sleep," 7 June 2018
Getting through a complete performance without dozing off was always a struggle.

— patrick neas, kansascity, "These CDs will carry classical music lovers through the summer," 25 June 2018

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