doss
To avoid work, shirk, etcTo avoid work, shirk, etc.
Recorded: Commander Keane, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Examples
3 sentencesOn Saturday they decided to just doss around at the park.
We barely do any work in geography lessons, we just doss about.
After the bailiff repossessed Tom's house, he was forced to doss down at a homeless shelter.
Meaning
2 senses(Ireland, UK, intransitive)To avoid work, shirk, etc.
I am going to doss tomorrow when the match is on.
(Australia, UK, intransitive, slang)To sleep, especially in the open or in a makeshift bed, commonly in a derelict building because one is homeless.
I normally have to doss in shop doorways or on park benches.
- sleep in a convenient place
Origin
Perhaps from Latin dorsum (“the back”), i.e. what one lies on when sleeping; perhaps fromPerhaps from Latin dorsum (“the back”), i.e. what one lies on when sleeping; perhaps from English dialect doss (“a hassock”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
dosses, dossing, dossed, dossedTenses
doss · dossed · will doss · have dossedPhrasal verbs
5 phrasal verbsSynonyms
2 synonymsWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.