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Definition of thames
thames
/tɛmz/
thames
thames Lexical Profile
CEFR
B1
Grade
5
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
• noun
1
British A major river in southern England that flows through Oxford and London before emptying into the North Sea, renowned as the longest river entirely in England.
Example
"Many of London's most iconic landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, are situated along the banks of the Thames."
Word Nuance & Usage
Always capitalized and typically preceded by the definite article ('the Thames'); notably, the 'th' is pronounced as a hard 't' and the 'a' as a short 'e' (/tɛmz/).
• Rhymes for thames
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'Temes', originating from the Brittonic Celtic name 'Tamesas' or 'Tamesis', which is widely believed to mean 'dark' or 'the dark one'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Thames. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/thames