Word forms: plural dozenslanguage note: The plural form is dozen after a number, or after a word or expression referring to a number, such as 'several'or 'a few'.
1. number
If you have adozen things, you have twelve of them.
...a dozen eggs.
You will be able to take ten dozen bottles free of duty through customs.
He ordered a dozen of their best red roses.
His chicken eggs sell for $22 a dozen.
2. number
You can refer to a group of approximately twelve things or people as adozen. You can refer to a group of approximately six things or people as half a dozen.
I was sitting only a dozen feet away.
In half a dozen words, he had explained the bond that linked them.
The riot left four people dead and several dozen injured.
3. quantifier
If you refer to dozens of things or people, you are emphasizing that there are very many of them.
[emphasis]
...a storm which destroyed dozens of homes and buildings. [+ of]
You can also use dozens as a pronoun.
Just as revealing are Mr Johnson's portraits, of which there are dozens.
dozen in British English
(ˈdʌzən)
determiner
1. (preceded bya or a numeral)
a.
twelve or a group of twelve
a dozen eggs
two dozen oranges
b.
(as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural)
give me a dozen
there are at least a dozen who haven't arrived yet
nounWord forms: pluraldozens or dozen
2. by the dozen
3. baker's dozen
4. talk nineteen to the dozen
Derived forms
dozenth (ˈdozenth)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French douzaine, from douze twelve, from Latin duodecim, from duo two + decem ten
dozen in American English
(ˈdʌzən)
nounWord forms: pluralˈdozens or ˈdozen
1.
a set of twelve
see also baker's dozen
2. [often pl.]
a large number
Idioms:
the dozens
Derived forms
dozenth (ˈdozenth)
adjective
Word origin
ME dozeine < OFr dozaine < douze, twelve < L duodecim, twelve < duo, two + decem, ten
More idioms containing
dozen
a dime a dozen
a baker's dozen
talk nineteen to the dozen
six of one and half a dozen of the other
Examples of 'dozen' in a sentence
dozen
There used to be dozens of them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Up to two dozen more are understood to support their position.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He has had at least half a dozen.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There are still half a dozen to write home about.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Dozens of people are feared to have been killed and many more injured.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Police confirmed that nine people were dead with more than two dozen missing.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
AT least 39 people have been killed and dozens injured in a train crash.
The Sun (2017)
That can't be said of perhaps as many as dozens of former executives, employees and agents of the company who face criminal investigation.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The attack killed five and injured dozens of people.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The equipment has been used to capture dozens of attacks by settlers.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
More than a dozen woman have told similar stories.
The Sun (2014)
Within weeks nearly a dozen people in the church had become strong opponents of my leadership.
Christianity Today (2000)
There were as many as a dozen of them now attacking.
The Sun (2009)
There are at least a dozen important things that a patient can tell me about their pain.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There are perhaps two dozen trees in four square miles.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Police at the scene were reported to have shot dead dozens of members of the mob.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The art scene has died and been reborn half a dozen times.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The new company bought another dozen businesses in two years.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It has used it dozens of times.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There were only a few dozen people there.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It is suggested that there are at least a dozen possible buyers.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There were dozens and dozens of people killed and wounded.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It is a cliché he uses with brazen sincerity more than half a dozen times during our talk.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
At about 4pm police took away half a dozen large bags.
The Sun (2009)
The capital's hospitals have received dozens of injured people whose identity documents were lost in the attacks.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
dozen
British English: dozen /ˈdʌzn/ NUMBER
A dozen means twelve.
Will you buy some bread and a dozen eggs please?
American English: dozen
Arabic: دَسْتَة
Brazilian Portuguese: dúzia
Chinese: 一打
Croatian: tucet
Czech: tucet
Danish: dusin
Dutch: dozijn
European Spanish: docena
Finnish: tusina
French: douzaine
German: Dutzend
Greek: ντουζίνα
Italian: dozzina
Japanese: 12個
Korean: 다스
Norwegian: dusin
Polish: tuzin
European Portuguese: dúzia
Romanian: duzină
Russian: дюжина
Latin American Spanish: docena
Swedish: dussin
Thai: หนึ่งโหล
Turkish: düzine
Ukrainian: дюжина
Vietnamese: tá
All related terms of 'dozen'
doz.
dozen
daily dozen
gymnastic setting-up exercises ( originally twelve ) done daily
half-dozen
six or a group of six
long dozen
thirteen
baker's dozen
thirteen
by the dozen
in large quantities
half a dozen
six
a baker's dozen
thirteen
a dime a dozen
existing in large numbers and therefore not especially valuable or interesting. In British English, use two a penny .
talk nineteen to the dozen
to talk very quickly, without pausing
six of one and half a dozen of the other
said to mean that both of two people, situations or possible courses of action are equally bad or equally good