twelve
Americannoun
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a cardinal number, 10 plus 2.
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a symbol for this number, as 12 or XII.
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a set of this many persons or things.
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the Twelve, the 12 apostles chosen by Christ.
adjective
noun
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the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and two See also number
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a numeral, 12, XII, etc, representing this number
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something represented by, representing, or consisting of 12 units
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Also called: twelve o'clock. noon or midnight
determiner
Etymology
Origin of twelve
before 900; Middle English twelve, inflected form of twelf, Old English twelfe literally, (ten and) two leave, i.e., two left over; cognate with Old Frisian twelef, twelf, Old High German zwelif, Old Norse tōlf, Gothic twalif; compare Lithuanian dvýlika; see two, leave 1, eleven
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Goldman Sachs foreign exchange strategy team led by Kamakshya Trivedi expects those drivers to start pushing the renminbi up toward the 6.50 they’re targeting in the next twelve months.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
"We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months," the spokesman added.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
TPG said fee-related earnings surpassed $1 billion over the last twelve months, the first time in its history.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Marvell Technology shares were rising, having more than doubled over the past twelve months.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Another denizen of Miami’s canals, the huge snake was easily twelve feet long, with a spotted green-and-brown body as thick as Natalie’s leg.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
