doss
doss — verb
- dosspresent simple I / you / we / they
- dosseshe / she / it
- dossedpast simple
- dossing-ing form
1. to sleep where there is no proper shelter, for example on the street, in a doorw
to sleep where there is no proper shelter, for example on the street, in a doorway, or in an abandoned place, because you are homeless and cannot afford anywhere to stay
Min spent three months dossing in a disused factory after losing her job.
doss + in [abandoned building]
A charity worker found Yara dossing under a bridge and offered her a warm meal.
Lukas remembered the nights he had to doss on cardboard sheets near the canal.
The police moved the group who had been dossing in the shop doorway every night.
Families who lost their homes in the flood dossed down in a school gym.
- sleep rough
more formal and specifically homeless-related; used in charity and social-work contexts
- bunk down
less common, slightly more neutral; can be used for any makeshift sleep
- crash
American English also uses this; broader meaning including sleeping at a friend's place
- sleep comfortably
opposite situation — having a proper bed and shelter
文法句型
doss + in/on/under [location]
doss down + in/on/under [location]
用法筆記
Often used with 'down' as 'doss down'. This sense specifically describes sleeping rough due to homelessness — distinguish from sense 2, which covers any makeshift sleeping arrangement regardless of housing status.
常見錯誤
2. to get some sleep in a place that has no proper bed, such as a sofa, a floor, or
to get some sleep in a place that has no proper bed, such as a sofa, a floor, or a chair, usually because nothing more comfortable is available
When her train was cancelled, Ingrid dossed on a bench at the airport.
doss + on [public furniture]
Wren said we could doss on her flat floor if we brought sleeping bags.
doss + on [floor]
Anong dossed on the sofa for a week while searching for a new apartment.
The teenagers dossed in the barn after missing the last bus home.
Eitan dossed down on a thin mattress in his cousin's spare room for the night.
- sleep in a proper bed
opposite — having a real bed in a normal bedroom
文法句型
doss + on/in/at [place]
doss down + on/in [surface]
用法筆記
The sleep is typically unplanned or temporary. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not imply homelessness — the person may just be crashing somewhere inconveniently. 'Doss down' is very common in this sense.
常見錯誤
doss — noun
1. something that is very easy to do and requires almost no effort, skill, or hard
something that is very easy to do and requires almost no effort, skill, or hard work
The maths test was a complete doss — Heloísa finished it in fifteen minutes.
a complete doss
Some people think teaching young children is a doss, but it takes real effort.
is a doss
Camila found the data-entry job a bit of a doss after working in a restaurant.
Rohan said the driving test was a doss compared to what he had expected.
Femi called the training course a doss because the instructor let everyone leave early.
文法句型
be a doss
a bit of a doss
用法筆記
British slang only — American English does not use 'doss' to mean an easy task. Used in phrases like 'a doss' or 'a bit of a doss'. Avoid using this word in formal or academic writing.