- [countable] (abbreviation doz.)
a group of twelve of the same thing （一）打；十二个 Give me a dozen, please. 请给我来一打。 🔊🔊 two dozen eggs 两打鸡蛋 three dozen red roses 三打红玫瑰 half a dozen bottles of wine 半瓶酒 a half-dozen bottles of wine 六瓶酒
- [countable]
a group of approximately twelve people or things 十来个；十几个；十多个 several dozen/a few dozen people 数十／几十个人 The company employs no more than a couple of dozen people. 这家公司顶多雇用了几十个人。 🔊🔊 Only about half a dozen people turned up. 只有六七个人到场。 🔊🔊 There was only space for a half-dozen tables. 只有摆六张桌子的地方。 🔊🔊 There were two dozen or so, men mostly, all looking a little bored. 有大约二十打，大多数是男人，看上去有些无聊。
- dozens[plural] (informal)
a lot of people or things 许多；很多 - dozens of something
I've been there dozens of times. 我到过那里很多次了。 🔊🔊 We interviewed dozens and dozens of people. 我们采访了数十人。 - in dozens
They arrived in dozens (= in large numbers). 他们大批到达了。 🔊🔊 Babies are turning up in their dozens to be snapped for the paper's Baby of the Year competition. 婴儿正在成千上万的人争相参加报纸的年度宝贝比赛。
- dozens of something
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French dozeine, based on Latin duodecim ‘twelve’.
Idioms
a dime a dozen (North American English)
(British English two/ten a penny)
very common and therefore not valuable 普通得不值钱；（因常见而）价值低
it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other
- (saying)
used to say that there is not much real difference between two possible choices 半斤八两；不相上下
talk, etc. nineteen to the dozen