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  • Doris
    Doris
    noun
    the wife of Nereus and mother of the Nereids.
  • doris
    doris
    noun
    a woman

Doris

1 American  
[dawr-is, dohr-, dor-] / ˈdɔr ɪs, ˈdoʊr-, ˈdɒr- /

noun

  1. Classical Mythology. the wife of Nereus and mother of the Nereids.

  2. a female given name: from a Greek word meaning “bountiful.”


Doris 2 American  
[dawr-is, dohr-, dor-] / ˈdɔr ɪs, ˈdoʊr-, ˈdɒr- /

noun

  1. an ancient region in central Greece: the earliest home of the Dorians.

  2. a region in SW Asia Minor, on the coast of Caria: Dorian settlements.


Doris 1 British  
/ ˈdɒrɪs /

noun

  1. a small landlocked area north of the Gulf of Corinth. Traditionally regarded as the home of the Dorians, it was perhaps settled by some of them during their southward migration

  2. the coastal area of Caria in SW Asia Minor, settled by Dorians

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Doris 2 British  
/ ˈdɒrɪs /

noun

  1. Greek myth a sea nymph

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

doris 3 British  
/ ˈdɒrɪs /

noun

  1. slang a woman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of doris

C20: from the girl's name Doris

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.

See Examples For:

Doris Day, a New York-based dermatologist, tells her patients and social media followers to swap frequent forehead Botox appointments for facial exercises.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 28, 2026

First elected as an MP in 1987, she faced cruel comments about her appearance, with one newspaper calling her "Doris Karloff" - a reference to an old Hollywood horror star.

From BBC Jul. 10, 2026

Margaret Free was walking three Basset hounds — Bob, Doris and Ruth.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 20, 2026

Then the camera cut to Willie Nelson singing along beside Bryan Cranston, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Francis Collins, who was then the director of the National Institutes of Health.

From Salon May 21, 2026

Until today, my appointments with Dr. Doris had been filled with Quiet, Natalie.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

The collections made along the shore in this excursion were large and various: star-fish, volutas, sea-urchins, sea-anemones, medusae, doris; many small fishes, also, from the tide-pools, beside a number drawn in the seine.

From Louis Agassiz: His Life and Correspondence by Agassiz, Louis

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