dozen
dozen — noun
1. a very large number or amount of people or things, used when saying that somethi
a very large number or amount of people or things, used when saying that something exists in great quantities — often more than expected or desired.
Eric found dozens of old photographs in his grandmother's attic while cleaning it out.
dozens of + [noun]
Eve has visited that temple dozens of times over the past ten years.
dozens of times
Dozens of volunteers showed up to clean the park after the big storm last weekend.
Dozens of children played in the park after school let out for the day.
- a few
a small number; opposite end of the quantity spectrum
文法句型
dozens of + [noun]
用法筆記
This sense ONLY works in the plural form "dozens" followed by "of". You cannot say "a dozen of people" to mean many people. The singular forms ("a dozen", "two dozen") refer to exact or approximate groups of twelve, not large quantities.
常見錯誤
2. a set or group of twelve identical or similar items of the same kind — for examp
a set or group of twelve identical or similar items of the same kind — for example, a dozen eggs, a dozen roses, or half a dozen donuts.
Jack bought a dozen roses for his mother's birthday celebration.
a dozen + [noun]: a dozen roses
Tamás used a recipe that called for half a dozen eggs and some sugar.
half a dozen + [noun]
Eve picked up two dozen cookies from the bakery for the office party.
Grandma brought a dozen fresh muffins to the church bake sale on Saturday.
Ignacio ordered a dozen fresh oysters at the seafood restaurant near the harbour.
- twelve
used when the focus is on the number itself rather than the group; 'twelve eggs' vs 'a dozen eggs' — the latter feels more natural for packaged sets
文法句型
[number] + dozen + [noun]
half a dozen + [noun]
用法筆記
After a specific number, "dozen" stays singular: "two dozen eggs" (NOT "two dozens eggs"). When used before a noun directly ("a dozen eggs"), no "of" is needed — this is called an attributive use.
常見錯誤
3. a quantity of roughly twelve people or things, used when the exact number is not
a quantity of roughly twelve people or things, used when the exact number is not important or not known precisely.
Faisal saw several dozen people waiting outside the concert hall before the doors opened.
several dozen + [noun]
Apinya counted about a dozen chairs in the meeting room, though some were broken.
about a dozen + [noun]
Ziad invited two dozen guests to his party, but only fifteen people actually came.
A dozen or so birds sat on the roof, chirping in the early morning light.
- about twelve
more explicit about the approximate nature; 'dozen' alone can sound precise
- roughly a dozen
makes the approximation even clearer; slightly more informal
文法句型
[quantifier] + dozen + [noun]
about a dozen + [noun]
用法筆記
With "several dozen", "a few dozen", or "a dozen or so", the following noun has no "of": "several dozen people" (not "several dozen of people"). The quantity is understood to be roughly, not exactly, twelve times the number.
常見錯誤
4. the number that is one more than eleven, used as a name for the quantity 12 in c
the number that is one more than eleven, used as a name for the quantity 12 in counting or arithmetic.
A baker's dozen is thirteen pieces, not twelve like a regular dozen.
one dozen = the number 12; baker's dozen = 13
Sofia packed exactly one dozen cookies into each gift box for the holiday sale.
one dozen = exactly 12 items
Toshi counted the eggs in the carton and confirmed there was a full dozen inside.
Eli counted twelve apples and said, "Now I have a full dozen in the basket."
- twelve
the ordinary number word; used in most everyday contexts where "dozen" is possible but less natural
文法句型
[number word] dozen
one dozen
用法筆記
The word "twelve" is far more common than "dozen" when referring to the pure number. "Dozen" is normally used for groups of items rather than the number itself.