dozen

noun

doz·​en ˈdə-zᵊn 

plural dozens or dozen

1

: a group of 12

2

: an indefinitely large number

dozens of times

3

the dozens plural in form but singular in construction : a ritualized African American word game that consists of exchanging insults usually about the members of an opponent's family

dozen adjective

dozenth

ˈdə-zᵊn(t)th 

adjective

Synonyms

• ton
• loads
• plenty
• slew
• bunch
• hundred
• lot
• deal
• pile
• chunk
• quantity
• raft

Examples of dozen in a Sentence

dozens of new songs were auditioned and rejected

Recent Examples on the Web

The inquiry also scrutinized prominent Trump allies, including Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Stephen Miller, along with dozens of consultants and political action committees tied to the former president’s orbit. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025

That includes more than a dozen Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Centene, CVS’s Aetna, Elevance Health, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Molina, and Cigna. —Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025

The island offers more than three dozen hotels, resorts, condos, cottages and bed and breakfasts, including the famous Grand Hotel, the tourism bureau says. —Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 17 Sep. 2025

Strikes have leveled high-rise buildings across the city and killed dozens in recent days as the Israeli military prepared to move in on the ground. —Solcyré Burga, Time, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dozeine, from Anglo-French duzeine, dozeyne, from duze twelve, from Latin duodecim, from duo two + decem ten — more at two, ten

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dozen

• a dime a dozen
• baker's dozen
• daily dozen
• half a dozen
• half dozen
• it's six of one and half a dozen of the other
• it's six of one, half (a) dozen of the other
• several dozen
• talk nineteen to the dozen

Kids Definition

dozen

noun

doz·​en ˈdəz-ᵊn 

plural dozens or dozen

: a group of twelve

dozen adjective

dozenth

-ᵊn(t)th 

adjective

Etymology

Middle English dozeine "dozen," from early French dozeyne (same meaning), derived from Latin duodecim "twelve," from duo "two" and decem "ten" — related to decimal, dime, dual