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Definition of bahamas
bahamas
/bəˈhɑː.məz/
ba · ha · mas
Plural:Bahamas
•Adjective:Bahamian
bahamas Lexical Profile
CEFR
A2
Grade
4
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
• noun
1
An island country within the Lucayan Archipelago in the West Indies, situated in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and southeast of the US state of Florida.
Example
"We spent our winter vacation relaxing on the pristine beaches of the Bahamas."
Word Nuance & Usage
In standard English, the country name is almost always preceded by the definite article 'the' and, despite its plural form, takes a singular verb.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Widely believed to derive from the Spanish 'baja mar' meaning 'shallow sea' or 'low tide', describing the shallow waters of the region, though it may also originate from the indigenous Lucayan Taíno word 'ba-ha-ma' (large upper middle land).
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Bahamas. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/bahamas