Word
doze
US/ˈdoʊz/
UK/dˈəʊz/
Definition
v. to sleep lightly for a short time, often without meaning to.
v. to sleep lightly or briefly, often unintentionally. Often combines with 'off' to mark the moment of falling asleep.
Examples
“He often dozes on the sofa after lunch.”
“She dozed in the waiting room and missed her name being called.”
“After the long flight, he dozed through the afternoon meeting, waking only when his colleague nudged him.”
Examples
simple
“He often dozes on the sofa after lunch.”
contextual
“She dozed in the waiting room and missed her name being called.”
complex
“After the long flight, he dozed through the afternoon meeting, waking only when his colleague nudged him.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “doze” in context.
Verb
01. begin to doze
“He began to doze during the long boring film.”
verb + to + verb
02. doze in chair
“Grandpa dozed in his chair after lunch.”
verb + prep + noun
03. doze off
“He dozed off on the sofa while watching TV.”
verb + particle
04. doze on sofa
“The cat dozed on the sofa all afternoon.”
verb + prep + noun
05. start to doze
“She started to doze in the warm afternoon sun.”
verb + to + verb
Adjective
06. doze briefly
“She dozed briefly while waiting for the bus.”
verb + adv
07. doze lightly
“He dozed lightly on the train and woke up at his stop.”
verb + adv
08. almost doze off
“I almost dozed off during the boring lecture.”
09. doze in the afternoon sun
“They dozed in the afternoon sun by the pool.”
10. doze off on the sofa
“He dozed off on the sofa after dinner.”
Usage
Intransitive with no direct object; commonly pairs with 'off' in 'doze off' to mean fall asleep.
Real-World Examples
“The science of sleep got its start in the early 1900s when researchers used scalp electrodes to discover that people produce slow brain waves when dozing.” Etymology
From Middle English dosen, from Old Norse dúsa (“to doze, rest, remain quiet”), from Proto-Germanic dusāną (“to be dizzy”), from Proto-Indo-European dʰews- (“to fly, whirl”), from dʰew- (“to fly, shake, reek, steam, smolder”). Cognate with Old Frisian dusia (“to be dizzy”), German Low German dösen (“to doze”), German dösen (“to doze”), Danish døse (“to doze”), dialectal Swedish dusa (“to doze, slumber”), Icelandic dúsa (“to doze”), Old English dysiġ (“foolish, stupid”), Scots dosnit (“stunned, stupefied”), Icelandic dúra (“to nap, slumber”), also compare Dutch doezelen (“to doze”). More at dizzy.
Clipping of bulldoze.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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