dozen

noun

doz·​en ˈdə-zᵊn 

plural dozens or dozen

1

: a group of 12

roses sold by the dozen

2

: an indefinitely large number

dozens of times

Dozens of people were at the park.

3

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

… He also likes to crack jokes. On this side of the diaspora, we would call that playing the dozens. That's also a big part of hip-hop culture.

—Tressie McMillan Cottom

In African American culture there is a verbal game of teasing known as "playing the dozens" consisting of two people, typically males, trading insults about each other and their family members.

—Leon Williams

compare capping entry 2, joning

dozen adjective

dozenth

ˈdə-zᵊn(t)th 

adjective

I'm telling you for the dozenth time.

Synonyms of dozen

• 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

After hearing comments from dozens of concerned residents, and against the advice of the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission, the Granbury City Council on April 7 agreed to rezone 2,000 acres for a data center power plant. —Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026

Tuesday, Kansas City voters weighed in on a ballot question that could have implications for dozens of city services and how much Kansas Citians will pay in taxes moving forward. —The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026

The ask comes a year into a Republican administration that has been defined by haphazard mass layoffs and firings of thousands of federal workers, including dozens who say they were targeted in acts of political retaliation or for not embracing the White House's agenda. —Amanda Seitz, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026

Late last year, the office added about a half-dozen new prosecutors, Boutros said. —Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026

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