doss

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɑs/ UK /dɒs/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like dose /ɑ/ vs /oʊ/

Meanings

1

verb
to sleep rough or in cheap lodging; to idle (British slang)

They let him doss on the sofa until he found a flat.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to sleep rough or in cheap... sleepkipcrash loaf idle bed

Opposites

work toil

Word family

Derived forms dosserdosshouse

Etymology

British slang of uncertain origin, possibly from earlier 'doss' ('a bed'), perhaps from dialectal use related to Latin dorsum ('back') via 'doss' meaning to lie on one's back.

Topics

Actions & Processes Register & Style

External links

# doss

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɑs/
**IPA (UK):** /dɒs/

## Meanings
1. to sleep rough or in cheap lodging; to idle (British slang)

## Examples
- They let him doss on the sofa until he found a flat.

## Synonyms
- sleep
- kip
- crash
- loaf
- idle
- bed

## Antonyms
- work
- toil

## Derived Forms
- dosser
- dosshouse

## Etymology
British slang of uncertain origin, possibly from earlier 'doss' ('a bed'), perhaps from dialectal use related to Latin dorsum ('back') via 'doss' meaning to lie on one's back.

## AI Etymology
Doss is a British slang of uncertain origin, possibly from earlier 'doss' ('a bed'), perhaps from dialectal use related to Latin dorsum ('back') via 'doss' meaning to lie on one's back. In present use as verb and noun, it means "to sleep rough or in cheap lodging; to idle (British slang)", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Its colloquial history matters: the word belongs to informal usage before settling into the present dictionary sense. Derived forms include dosser and dosshouse.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Register & Style

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