Phrasal verb
doss about
Definition
phrasal verb. to spend time doing nothing useful or being lazy when you should be working.
phrasal verb. to spend time in a lazy or unproductive manner; a British informal phrasal verb often used to describe avoiding work or responsibility.
Examples
“Stop dossing about and finish your homework.”
“The manager caught the staff dossing about in the break room instead of restocking the shelves.”
“While his peers were revising for their final exams, he spent the entire semester dossing about, much to the frustration of his tutors.”
Examples
simple
“Stop dossing about and finish your homework.”
contextual
“The manager caught the staff dossing about in the break room instead of restocking the shelves.”
complex
“While his peers were revising for their final exams, he spent the entire semester dossing about, much to the frustration of his tutors.”
Usage
highly informal and primarily used in British English to criticize laziness.
Teaching tip
this is a great example of British slang that can be contrasted with the more neutral 'waste time' or the American 'goof off'.
Pitfall
He was dossing about his work.
He was dossing about instead of working.
'doss about' is intransitive and does not take a direct object; you cannot 'doss about' a task.
Phrasal verb
Particles
about
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
doss + about
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/doss-about