Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A set of 12.
- n. An indefinite, large number: dozens of errands to run.
- adj. Twelve.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A collection of twelve things; twelve units: used with or without of: as, a dozen eggs, or a dozen of eggs; twelve dozen pairs of gloves. Like other numerical terms denoting more than a few, dozen is often used for an indefinitely great number: as, I have a dozen things to attend to at once. Abbreviated doz.
- n. In old English law, a municipal district consisting originally of twelve families or householders. Compare tithing, riding, hundred.
- To make up into bundles of twelve, as certain kinds of dressed hides.
Wiktionary
- n. A set of twelve.
- n. A large, unspecified number of, comfortably estimated in small multiples of twelve, thus generally implied to be significantly more than ten or twelve, but less than perhaps one or two hundred; many.
- n. An old English measure of ore containing 12 hundredweight.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A collection of twelve objects; a tale or set of twelve; with or without
of before the substantive which follows. - n. An indefinite small number.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
- adj. denoting a quantity consisting of 12 items or units
Etymologies
- Middle English dozeine, from Old French dozaine, from doze, twelve, ultimately from Latin duodecim : duo, two; see dwo- in Indo-European roots + decem, ten; see dekm̥ in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“They included half a dozen from the United Kingdom, several Canadiens, some Germans and three Americans.”
The Huffington Post: Kristen Breitweiser: The CYA Mentality of Rahm and Why Enough is Enough
“They included half a dozen from the United Kingdom, several Canadians, some Germans and three Americans.”
The Huffington Post: Kristen Breitweiser: The CYA Mentality of Rahm, and Why Enough Is Enough
“Similar research has been replicated in dozen of States, in Canada (2003,2006) and throughout the world (IASL).”
“Trainers at £10 a dozen from the sweat shop at £70 each in the shops.”
“What do you call a dozen MSM talking heads chained together at the bottom of the ocean?”
“Such a simpe list of ingredients - I think 15 dozen is a fairly hefty amount to make, but I'm sure it's a joy to make with a trusted, loved friend.”
“I just went a brought back a dozen from the Polish deli near my house.”
"I'm giving up giving a rat's ass about the Presidential race, for Lent."
“Sure miss those free crawfish I used to scoop up by the dozen from the open ditches in New Orleans when I was a kid.”
“The smart dozen is out of roughly 500 advertisers a month, most of whom do OK or well.”
“A small boy's black Fruit Of The Loom T-shirt, thoroughly shrunken, a thin gray V-necked pullover purchased by the half-dozen from a supplier to New England prep schools, and a new and oversized pair of black 501's, every trademark carefully removed.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘dozen’.
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steffany(grade 2)
accident, agree, arrive, astronomy, attention, award, aware, balance, banner, bare, base, beach and 127 more...
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jackgrade2
accident, agree, arrive, astronomy, atlas, attention, award, aware, balance, banner, bare, base and 127 more...
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twelfth
words and concepts reflective of their twelveness
twelfthtide, well-tempered, twelve noon, twelvemo, duodecimo, twelvescore, twelvepence, twelfth-second, twelfth-night, twelfth-tide, twelfthly, twelfth man and 38 more...
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Compound words by appearance, not definition
Requirements:
• The word should be a compound.
• Once divided, the individual definitions should not describe the compound itself.
• For sanity's sake, any word that also ha...pinion, electrode, faggot, accordion, display, lotion, lithe, mobile, wonton, spittoon, home, donkey and 10 more...
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Fun to say
words that look funny, sound funny, and make you laugh

bilby "We turned at a dozen paces, for love is a duel, and looked up at each other for the last time."
— Jack Kerouac. Dec 9, 2007