doze

play

verb \ ˈdōz \

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

Thompson dozed off, then awoke to find that Jacob wasn't breathing on Aug. 6, 2012, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

— aimee green, OregonLive.com, "Mom who accidentally suffocated newborn in hospital bed sues for $8.6 million," 9 Aug. 2017
He was surrounded by a group of sour, sullen characters; manager John McNamara, who occasionally got caught dozing in the dugout, was very nearly paranoid by season’s end, and this was a team that had won a pennant.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "David Price should look at Red Sox history and see why battling Boston's media won't work," 14 July 2017
One of the two staff members assigned to watch her had dozed off, the Hardee County Sheriff's Office would report, and the other, who took a seat in Jakobowski's room, reported hearing or seeing nothing unusual.

— josh kovner, courant.com, "Death Of Connecticut Psychiatric Patient At Florida Facility Leads To Lawsuit, Renewed Scrutiny," 13 July 2017
Head home and gather around the campfire, roasting s’mores and sharing stories before tucking the kiddos into bed and dozing off to the sound of loons in the distance.

— travel wisconsin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Two Days to Explore: Eagle River," 6 July 2017
Angel dozed off — and then suddenly awoke, gasping for air.

— jonathan small, Good Housekeeping, "I Had to Walk Through Fire for My Kids," 30 June 2017
For him, dozing off on a warm lap sounds like the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon.

— idahostatesman, "Ada County Pet of the Week: Tu-Tone," 27 June 2017
In the midst of that turbulence, parenting became a tranquil island: cuddling a baby on long walks, watching movies while Ripley dozed in a Pack ‘

— anndee hochman, Philly.com, "The Parent Trip: Sissy and Jon Gault of Spring City," 21 June 2017
So take a break from dozing in the hammock to check out these must-try things for the summer.

— pacific, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "24 things for your San Diego summer-must list," 15 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of doze

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1677

See Words from the same year

doze

verb

Definition of doze

dozed; dozing

transitive verb

:bulldoze 2

—

dozer

noun

Recent Examples of doze from the Web

Thompson dozed off, then awoke to find that Jacob wasn't breathing on Aug. 6, 2012, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

— aimee green, OregonLive.com, "Mom who accidentally suffocated newborn in hospital bed sues for $8.6 million," 9 Aug. 2017
He was surrounded by a group of sour, sullen characters; manager John McNamara, who occasionally got caught dozing in the dugout, was very nearly paranoid by season’s end, and this was a team that had won a pennant.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "David Price should look at Red Sox history and see why battling Boston's media won't work," 14 July 2017
One of the two staff members assigned to watch her had dozed off, the Hardee County Sheriff's Office would report, and the other, who took a seat in Jakobowski's room, reported hearing or seeing nothing unusual.

— josh kovner, courant.com, "Death Of Connecticut Psychiatric Patient At Florida Facility Leads To Lawsuit, Renewed Scrutiny," 13 July 2017
Head home and gather around the campfire, roasting s’mores and sharing stories before tucking the kiddos into bed and dozing off to the sound of loons in the distance.

— travel wisconsin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Two Days to Explore: Eagle River," 6 July 2017
Angel dozed off — and then suddenly awoke, gasping for air.

— jonathan small, Good Housekeeping, "I Had to Walk Through Fire for My Kids," 30 June 2017
For him, dozing off on a warm lap sounds like the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon.

— idahostatesman, "Ada County Pet of the Week: Tu-Tone," 27 June 2017
In the midst of that turbulence, parenting became a tranquil island: cuddling a baby on long walks, watching movies while Ripley dozed in a Pack ‘

— anndee hochman, Philly.com, "The Parent Trip: Sissy and Jon Gault of Spring City," 21 June 2017
So take a break from dozing in the hammock to check out these must-try things for the summer.

— pacific, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "24 things for your San Diego summer-must list," 15 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of doze

probably back-formation from dozer (bulldozer)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1945

See Words from the same year

Other Civil Engineering Terms

asphalt, ballast, barrage, cantilever, infrastructure, sluice

DOZE Defined for Kids

doze

play

verb \ ˈdōz \

Definition of doze for Students

dozed; dozing

:to sleep lightly

The baby soon fell asleep and Shlemiel dozed too, still rocking the cradle with his foot.
—Isaac Bashevis Singer, Zlateh the Goat

— doze off

:to fall asleep

I dozed off on the couch.

doze

noun

Definition of doze for Students

:a light sleep

Learn More about doze

See words that rhyme with doze Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for doze Spanish Central: Translation of doze Nglish: Translation of doze for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of doze for Arabic speakers

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