dozen
Pluraldozens, dozen
- 1A group of twelve things, like twelve eggs or twelve buns.
Like a full egg carton that holds twelve eggs.
She bought a dozen eggs at the store.
We need two dozen chairs for the party.
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- 2Quite a large number of people or things: more than ten, but not counted exactly.
Like saying 'lots' when there are too many things to count.
He's asked me a dozen times already, and I keep saying no.
Dozens of people showed up to help clean the park.
Similarscore
Note
- 3The number twelve, especially when called out in a game like bingo.
He still needed a dozen to finish his bingo card.
The caller drew a dozen, and two players cheered.
Similartwelve
- 4An old British unit used to measure ore, equal to twelve hundredweight.
Like a 'ton,' but an older measuring word used only for ore.
The miners hauled a dozen of ore up from the pit each day.
They sold three dozen of ore to the smelter that month.
Note
Practice
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Origin
From an Old French word meaning "a group of twelve," which came from the Latin word for "twelve."