"dozens" means: A verbal game in which two or more people exchange witty insults.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
dozens
(usually with "the", AAVE) A verbal game in which two or more people exchange witty insults.
Seen in the wild
5 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Russian forces killed two Ukrainian rescuers and wounded dozens more in a deliberate repeated strike on emergency workers responding to an initial attack on a gas production facility in Poltava Oblast overnight, regio…
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
21 people killed and dozens injured in massive explosion at fireworks plant in China
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
1/3 russians struck energy sites in Poltava, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv, killing 5 (including 2 rescuers) and injuring dozens. Thousands left without power.
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
Macron says Armenia has chosen path 'toward Europe,' shifting away from Russia Dozens of European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, were in Yerevan this week for a European Political Community summ…
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
PLAY ERASE INVADERS! FREE! Classic Arcade Action right in your desktop browser! Defend with dozens of weapons! No login or download required! Just play! @ https://www.scparcade.com #IndieDev #WebGames #RetroGameDev…
View source
Definitions
US
#1·Apr 27, 2026US
(usually with "the", AAVE) A verbal game in which two or more people exchange witty insults.
For parents
"dozens" means: A verbal game in which two or more people exchange witty insults.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"dozens" means: A verbal game in which two or more people exchange witty insults.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (AAVE) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Heard in the wild
“Russian forces killed two Ukrainian rescuers and wounded dozens more in a deliberate repeated strike on emergency workers responding to an initial attack on a gas production facility in Poltava Oblast overnight, regional authorities and Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“21 people killed and dozens injured in massive explosion at fireworks plant in China”
— Bluesky· May 2026“1/3 russians struck energy sites in Poltava, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv, killing 5 (including 2 rescuers) and injuring dozens. Thousands left without power.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Macron says Armenia has chosen path 'toward Europe,' shifting away from Russia Dozens of European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, were in Yerevan this week for a European Political Community summit and a joint Armenian-EU summit.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“PLAY ERASE INVADERS! FREE! Classic Arcade Action right in your desktop browser! Defend with dozens of weapons! No login or download required! Just play! @ https://www.scparcade.com #IndieDev #WebGames #RetroGameDev #PixelGames #CasualGames #PlayNow #FreeToPlay”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
US
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "dozens".
🎤About Black culture & AAVE slang
Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.
See all Black culture & AAVE slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "dozens" (D)
doxDoxbridgedoxxdoylemdo you know the Bishop of Norwichdo you need to use the bathroomdozzledDPDPCDPSdps arcdps check
Browse all slang words starting with D.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- dirty dozens80%
(AAVE) A version of the dozens in which the insults are explicitly obscene and often sexual.
- decimal dozen62%
(idiomatic, especially, Australia, NZ) Ten, a group of ten.
- deuces62%
(AAVE, slang) peace; goodbye (because of the associated gesture holding up two fingers).
- twenty-eleven62%
(informal, chiefly, US, dialectical) Very many; several dozen; quite a lot.
- dog out60%
(slang, AAVE) To verbally or physically abuse (someone).