What does dossed mean?
Dossed is the past tense and past participle of the informal British verb 'doss', which has two main uses. First, it means to sleep in a cheap, makeshift, or improvised place — you might have dossed down on a friend's sofa, in a squat, or at a railway station after missing your train. Second, it can mean to idle or loaf about instead of doing anything useful, as in 'she dossed around all summer'. The word carries distinctly informal, slightly disreputable connotations and belongs chiefly to British and Irish colloquial speech, being little used elsewhere. Related forms include 'doss down' (to settle for the night), 'dosser' (a lazy person or someone without proper lodging), and the noun 'a doss', meaning either such a place to sleep or — by extension — something remarkably easy: 'the exam was a doss'. Its vivid, unpretentious character makes it a colourful alternative to more neutral words like 'slept' or 'lazed'.
Past tense and past participle of 'doss': slept in a cheap or makeshift place, especially overnight.
"They dossed in a derelict farmhouse during the storm."
Usually with 'down'; strongly informal.
Idled or spent time aimlessly instead of working.
"He dossed about for most of the holidays."
Takes 'about' or 'around'.
In British slang, calling something 'a doss' means it's laughably easy — so if you dossed through it, you barely lifted a finger.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dossed
The verb 'doss' arose as British slang in the late nineteenth century, originally referring to sleeping in cheap lodgings such as doss-houses. Its ultimate origin is uncertain; it may derive from 'doss-house', itself of obscure provenance, possibly linked to dialect words for the back (compare French 'dos', from Latin 'dorsum'), since early dossers reportedly slept sitting back-to-back. From this sense developed both the idea of rough sleeping generally and, later, the extended sense of idling, plus the noun use meaning an easy task.
Related word forms
How dossed is actually used
Informal British and Irish slang; rare in North American English. Slightly scruffy connotation — sleeping rough by choice or necessity rather than comfortable lodging. The verb usually takes 'down' or 'about/around'.
Easily confused with dossed
'Tossed' means threw something lightly or mixed a salad, while 'dossed' means slept rough or idled — they rhyme but share no meaning.
'Dosser' is the agent noun for a person who dosses (a lazy person or one who sleeps rough), not a past-tense form.