doze

UK: /ˈdəʊz/ US: /doʊz/ ,(dōz)

Inflections of 'doze' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

dozes

v 3rd person singular

dozing

v pres p

dozed

v past

dozed

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

doze¹ /doʊz/   v., dozed, doz•ing, n. 
v. 

1. to sleep lightly and briefly;
   nap:
   [no object] dozing in the hammock when I called.
2. to fall into a light sleep unintentionally:
   [no object* (~ + off)] The students couldn't help but doze off during my lecture.
3. to pass (time) in napping: [~ + away + object]
   to doze away the afternoon.
   [~ + object + away]
   to doze the afternoon away.

n. [countable]

4. a nap.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

doze¹  (dōz), v., dozed, doz•ing, n. 
v.i. 

1. to sleep lightly or fitfully.
2. to fall into a light sleep unintentionally (often fol. by off ):
   He dozed off during the sermon.
3. to sleep for a short time;
   nap.
4. to be dull or half asleep.

v.t. 

5. to pass or spend (time) in drowsiness (often fol. by away):
   He dozed away the afternoon.

n. 

6. a light or fitful sleep;
   nap.

• 1640–50; origin, originally (now obsolete) to stupefy, make drowsy; compare Scots, north, northern England dialect, dialectal dozened, Middle English (Scots) dosnyt, dosinnit stupefied, dazed; akin to Old Norse dūsa rest, Swedish dialect, dialectal dusa doze, slumber, Middle Low German dusen to be thoughtless; compare daze

Synonyms

• 6. snooze, siesta, catnap, forty winks.

doze²  (dōz), v.t., v.i., dozed, doz•ing. 

1. Civil Engineering, Informal Terms [Informal.] to clear or level with a bulldozer.

• shortened form of bulldoze 1940–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

doze / dəʊz/ verb (intransitive)

1. to sleep lightly or intermittently
2. (often followed by off) to fall into a light sleep

noun

1. a short sleep

Etymology: 17th Century: probably from Old Norse dūs lull; related to Danish döse to drowse, Swedish dialect dusa slumber

ˈdozer noun