dozendoz‧en /ˈdʌzən/ ●●● S2 W3 number (plural dozen or dozens) (written abbreviation doz.) 
a dozen eggstwo/three/four etc dozen (=24, 36, 48 etc) The number of deaths has risen to more than two dozen.dozens of people/companies/cars etc (=but not hundreds or thousands) Dozens of people were killed. Chris, Helen, and half a dozen others went on holiday together. A dozen or so (=about 12) cars were parked near the entrance.2informal a lot ofa dozen I’ve heard this story a dozen times before.dozens of something She’s had dozens of boyfriends. We collected dozens and dozens of shells on the beach. → baker's dozen, → a dime a dozen at dime(2), → nineteen to the dozen at nineteen(2), → six of one and half a dozen of another at six(4)
WORD ORIGINdozen
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French dozeine, from doze ‘twelve’EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Having only one hand, and having that in a dozen things, he has no other to hold out.
- I had some memorable test drives after buying a dozen 6R4s when they were up for grabs at the factory.
- Prescott, the administration building, looked the same, except that there were a dozen cars parked outside.
- The mood is relaxed-very advisable if you have a dozen sheep to get through in a day.
- There were a dozen feature films made, with filming lasting from one week to four months.
- They live, like their ancestors, in packs of a dozen or so.
- We take two dozen blues and a dozen of their predators, the small green crabs that are never far away.
WORD SETS
acre, nounacreage, nounavoirdupois, nounbaker's dozen, nounbalance, nounbarometer, nounbaseline, nounbasin, nounbaud rate, nounbearing, nounbecquerel, nounblack box, nounboiling point, nounbottle, nounbox, nouncalculator, nouncalibrate, verbcalibration, nouncc, centi-, prefixcentimetre, nouncircumference, nouncl, clock, verbcm, cu, cubic, adjectivecubit, nouncup, nouncupful, nouncwt, daylight saving time, noundeci-, prefixdecibel, noundecimalization, noundeflection, noundegree, noundensity, noundepth, noundimension, noundipstick, noundisplacement, noundoz., noundozen, numberelevation, nounfactor, nounfathom, nounfl oz, fluid ounce, nounfoot, nounft, g, gage, noungal, gallon, noungauge, noungauge, verbGB, Geiger counter, noungigabyte, noungill, noungirth, noungm, graduated, adjectivegraduation, noungrain, noungram, noungramme, noungrid, noungross, adjectivehandful, nounhectare, nounhertz, nounhigh, adjectivehundredweight, nounimpedance, nounimperial, adjectiveinch, nounindicator, nouninstrument, nounjoule, nounkarat, nounkg, kilo, nounkilo-, prefixkilogram, nounkilometre, nounkm, knot, nounl, latitude, nounlb, league, nounlength, nounlight year, nounliter, nounlitre, nounlow water mark, nounmax, nounmaximum, adjectivemean, adjectivemeasure, verbmeasure, nounmedian, nounmedium, adjectivemegaton, nounmelting point, nounmental age, nounmeter, nounmeter, verb-meter, suffixmetre, noun-metre, suffixmetric, adjectivemetrication, nounmetric ton, nounmg, MHz, microsecond, nounmile, nounmillennium, nounmilli-, prefixmillibar, nounmilligram, nounmillilitre, nounmillimetre, nounminus, adjectiveminute, nounml, mpg, mph, nano-, prefixnanosecond, nounnautical mile, nounounce, nounoverweight, adjectiveoz, pace, verbpart, nounpedometer, nounpint, nounplus, adjectivepoint, nounpound, nounpunnet, nounqt, quantify, verbquart, nounradioactive dating, nounradius, nounrain gauge, nounread, verbreading, nounrecord, verbreset, verbrev, nounrotation, nounrpm, rule, nounruler, nounscale, nounsea level, nounsea mile, nounseismograph, nounsensor, nounset square, nounsextant, nounsnowfall, nounsoundings, nounsq., subsonic, adjectivesundial, nountherm, nountimberline, nountog, nounton, nountonnage, nountonne, nountroy weight, noununit, nounvoltmeter, nounvolume, nounwatch, nounwatt, nounwattage, nounweighbridge, nounweight, nounwidth, nounwt., yard, nounyardage, nounyardstick, nounyd, zero, number
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a dozen eggs Chris, Helen, and half a dozen others went on holiday together. A dozen or so (=about 12) cars were parked near the entrance. We collected dozens and dozens of shells on the beach.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a dozen eggs (=24, 36, 48 etc) The number of deaths has risen to more than two dozen.
The number of deaths has risen to more than two dozen. (=but not hundreds or thousands) Dozens of people were killed.
Dozens of people were killed. Chris, Helen, and half a dozen others went on holiday together. A dozen or so (=about 12) cars were parked near the entrance. We collected dozens and dozens of shells on the beach. (=a complete hundred etc)
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other
1twelve: - Jobs like his are a dime a dozen.
- Girls are a dime a dozen.
- Metaphors of Britain's decline have been a dime a dozen in the post-war years.
- Sam told her not to worry, jobs like that were a dime a dozen.
- So-called solutions to the longitude problem had been a dime a dozen even before the act went into effect.
- About half a dozen women and children had appeared and were standing, holding hands, watching me.
- Customer-driven systems also allow individuals to meet their needs in a holistic way, without applying to half a dozen different programs.
- He found half a dozen fishermen seated under the palm trees at the foot of the Co-operative quay.
- I still do half a dozen or so of these scarlet cross-overs a year, to this day.
- Inside the cafe there were half a dozen other people.
- Perhaps half a dozen were Hispanic, and the rest, black.
- Sunday night he was wild on at least a half dozen.
- Everybody except Jurnet clapped, still talking nineteen to the dozen.
- Theories must be abounding nineteen to the dozen.
- They often went on excursions, always talking away nineteen to the dozen.
- Everybody except Jurnet clapped, still talking nineteen to the dozen.
a dozen eggstwo/three/four etc dozen (=24, 36, 48 etc) The number of deaths has risen to more than two dozen.dozens of people/companies/cars etc (=but not hundreds or thousands) Dozens of people were killed. Chris, Helen, and half a dozen others went on holiday together. A dozen or so (=about 12) cars were parked near the entrance.2informal a lot ofa dozen I’ve heard this story a dozen times before.dozens of something She’s had dozens of boyfriends. We collected dozens and dozens of shells on the beach. → baker's dozen, → a dime a dozen at dime(2), → nineteen to the dozen at nineteen(2), → six of one and half a dozen of another at six(4)