# Dora

/ˈdɔɹə/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dora
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. female name

noun · CEFR A1

a common name for a girl or woman.

For teachers: a female given name, often a diminutive of Dorothy, Theodora, or Isadora.

- Dora lived in a small house near the sea for many years.
- The protagonist, Dora, navigates the complexities of Victorian social expectations with a mixture of innocence and quiet resilience.

### 3. Mahjong scoring tile

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

in the game of Japanese Mahjong, a special tile that gives you extra points.

For teachers: In Japanese Mahjong (Riichi), a bonus tile that adds a score multiplier (han) to a winning hand.

- He won the game because he had three dora tiles in his hand.
- The player discarded the red five, unaware that it was the current dora and would have significantly boosted their final score.

## Examples

- She gave him a dora for his trouble.
- The old man counted the dora in his pocket before buying the newspaper.
- In the dusty ledger, every dora was recorded with meticulous care, reflecting the merchant's frugal nature.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.