dozen

noun

doz·​en ˈdə-zᵊn How to pronounce dozen (audio)
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 adjective

Examples of dozen in a Sentence

dozens of new songs were auditioned and rejected
Recent Examples on the Web The renowned designer, famous for her influential wrap dress, worked with Target to drop over 100 clothing and accessory items, plus dozens of home decor options, statement-making furniture, and beauty buys. Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024 The 95,000-square-foot center will be the largest of Eskenazi's more than a dozen outpatient clinics. Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Mar. 2024 The Star spoke with a dozen Olathe parents who say systemic issues in the district are stopping children with autism from effectively accessing their education. Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Yield: 2 dozen For a colorful twist on chocolate brownies, make a pan of these red velvet brownies for your next holiday party. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024 Such a system would, in theory, allow individual prosecutors who handle dozens or even hundreds of cases a year to share information about witnesses that might otherwise be missed. The Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2024 More than 13,000 copyright complaints—encompassing almost 30,000 URLs—have been made to Google concerning content on a dozen of the most popular deepfake websites. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 China’s unprecedented economic and social transformation in the latter part of the 20th century has been picked over in dozens of movies by filmmakers ranging from Jia Zhangke to Wang Xiaoshuai. Patrick Frater, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 The doughnut – which is an Original Glazed Doughnut made green – is back by popular demand and will be available both individually and by the dozen. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dozen.' 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dozen was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near dozen

Cite this Entry

“Dozen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dozen. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dozen

noun
doz·​en ˈdəz-ᵊn How to pronounce dozen (audio)
plural dozens or dozen
: a group of twelve
dozen adjective
dozenth 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

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