# doss about

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/doss-about
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to spend time doing nothing useful or being lazy when you should be working.

For teachers: 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.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He was dossing about his work." but "He was dossing about instead of working." — 'doss about' is intransitive and does not take a direct object; you cannot 'doss about' a task.

## Usage notes

- 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'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.