half-dozen

[half-duhz-uhn, hahf-]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

one half of a dozen; six.

adjective

considering six as a unit; consisting of six.

half-dozen

determiner

(preceded by a)
1. six or a group of six
  a half-dozen roses
2. ( as pronoun; functioning as singular or plural )
  at least a half-dozen

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Word History and Origins

Origin of half-dozen¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Besides Akram, about a half-dozen owners or employees of businesses in the area told The Times that their sales had dropped by about 50% in the last week.

From

California is among more than a half-dozen states that were included on the list for self-identifying as sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants.

From

Over the course of the movie, he’s nearly murdered a half-dozen times by bullets, bombs, poison gas and a good old-fashioned clobbering.

From

A half-dozen senior scientists interviewed for this article said that neither they nor anyone they knew of had been consulted.

From

A third canister of gas appeared to do the trick, with the woman exiting the vehicle where she was met by about a half-dozen police officers.

From

half-done half-dressed

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