Phrasal verb
doss around
Definition
phrasal verb. to spend time doing very little or being lazy when you should be working.
phrasal verb. to spend time aimlessly or idly; to avoid productive activity. This is a British English colloquialism with a derogatory or informal register.
Examples
“Stop dossing around and finish your homework.”
“The manager was angry because he found the staff dossing around in the break room during the busiest hour.”
“While his peers were focused on their final exams, he spent the entire semester dossing around, seemingly indifferent to his future prospects.”
Examples
simple
“Stop dossing around and finish your homework.”
contextual
“The manager was angry because he found the staff dossing around in the break room during the busiest hour.”
complex
“While his peers were focused on their final exams, he spent the entire semester dossing around, seemingly indifferent to his future prospects.”
Usage
highly informal British English; usually implies the person is wasting time on purpose.
Teaching tip
this is a great example of British slang that functions as a standard phrasal verb; you can link it to the noun 'doss' (something very easy) or 'dosser' (a lazy person).
Pitfall
He is dossing about of the office.
He is dossing around the office.
the phrase does not require 'of' before the location or object.
Phrasal verb
Particles
around
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
doss + around
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/doss-around