What does "dozen" mean?

1. (a group of twelve) a group or set of twelve things. 2. (many) a large but not exact number of people or things. 3. (the dozens) a game where two people trade insults to see who is funnier or tougher.

How do you use "dozen"?

Remains singular when preceded by a specific number (e.g., 'three dozen'). Used in the plural form 'dozens' followed by 'of'.

dozen — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I bought two dozens eggs."?

No — say "I bought two dozen eggs.". When used with a specific number like 'two' or 'three', 'dozen' stays singular.

Word

01a group of twelve

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. a group or set of twelve things.

n. a set of twelve items. Often functions as a determiner when followed by a noun.

“She bought a dozen eggs from the market to bake the cake.”

“The baker prepared half a dozen loaves of sourdough bread before the first customers arrived at the shop.”

Usage

Remains singular when preceded by a specific number (e.g., 'three dozen').

Pitfall

I bought two dozens eggs.

I bought two dozen eggs.

When used with a specific number like 'two' or 'three', 'dozen' stays singular.

Synonyms

twelve

02many

B1 · Intermediate Plural noun

n. a large but not exact number of people or things.

n. an indefinite, large number; typically used in the plural to suggest a significant quantity.

“Dozens of people waited in line for the new phone to go on sale.”

“Dozens of protesters gathered outside the embassy, demanding a formal response from the ambassador regarding the new trade policy.”

Usage

Used in the plural form 'dozens' followed by 'of'.

Synonyms

many scores multitudes

Antonyms

few

03the dozens

C2 · Proficiency Plural noun American English · Slang · Informal

n. a game where two people trade insults to see who is funnier or tougher.

n. a traditional African-American custom of exchanging playful or competitive insults.

“The two friends were just playing the dozens, so don't take the jokes seriously.”

“Linguistic scholars have studied the dozens as a sophisticated form of oral wordplay that influenced modern battle rap.”

Teaching tip

This is a specific cultural term; learners are unlikely to encounter it outside of specific sociological or musical contexts like hip-hop.

Synonyms

roasting banter

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “dozen” in context.

Verb

01. buy a dozen

“We decided to buy a dozen eggs for the weekend breakfast.”

verb + noun

02. order a dozen

“The office manager ordered a dozen donuts for the morning meeting.”

verb + noun

Adjective

03. baker's dozen

“The local shop always gives you thirteen rolls when you ask for a baker's dozen.”

adj + noun

04. several dozen

“Several dozen protesters gathered outside the embassy to voice their concerns.”

adj + noun

Noun

05. dozens of people

“Dozens of people were waiting in line for the new phone release.”

noun + of + noun

06. half a dozen

“I only need half a dozen roses for the small vase on the table.”

measure + of + noun

Preposition

07. by the dozen

“During the summer sale, customers were buying t-shirts by the dozen.”

prep + noun

08. in dozens

“The invitations were printed in dozens to ensure there were enough for everyone.”

prep + noun

09. dozen people

“This election could go any way in the next dozen weeks up until the late October vote day.”

Toronto Sun 14 Aug 2026

“The dozens of countries named in the report have yet to publicly respond to its claims.”

Al Jazeera 14 Aug 2026

“The park has had about 100 wolves in ten packs on average, over the past dozen years, Stahler says.”

Smithsonian Magazine 31 Jul 2026

“Between 1999 and 2013, half a dozen long-running network soaps got the ax.”

Smithsonian Magazine 16 Jun 2026

From Middle English dozen, dozein, doseyne, from Old French dozaine (“a group of twelve”) (Modern French douzaine), from doze (“twelve”) + -aine (“-ish”), from Latin duodecim (“twelve”) (from duo (“two”) + decem (“ten”)) + -ana (“-ish”).

From a deliberate misspelling of doesn't, originally referring to someone who "dozen sing, dozen rap, dozen do anything."

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

dozen(B2)

dozens(B1)

number twelve