Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A river of southern England flowing about 340 km (210 mi) eastward to a wide estuary on the North Sea. Navigable for large ships as far as London, it is the principal commercial waterway of the country. In its upper course above Oxford it is often called Isis.
  • A river, about 260 km (160 mi) long, of southeast Ontario, Canada, flowing southwest to Lake St. Clair. In the War of 1812 Gen. William Henry Harrison defeated British and Native American forces in the Battle of the Thames (October 5, 1813).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun River in southern England flowing 336 km (209 mi.) through London to the North Sea.
  • proper noun River in Ontario province, Canada, flowing 258 km (160 mi.) to Lake St. Clair.
  • proper noun Estuary in the U.S. State of Connecticut flowing 24 km (15 mi.) past New London to Long Island Sound.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the longest river in England; flows eastward through London to the North Sea

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English Temese, from Latin Tamesis, ultimately of Celtic origin. The letter h was mistakenly inserted during the Renaissance, to make the word appear as if it was derived from Greek. The pronunciation, though, did not change to /θ/.

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Examples

  • Mr Neyroud, 60, the former police chief in Thames Valley, has been head of the quango since 2006 and recently boasted of cutting a £71 million bill for management consultants that he inherited from previous organisations.

    They Just Don’t Get It. « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2010

  • Her hair was pulled back behind her ears, and her fingers were long, smudged with ink and with dirt under the nails as if she had been digging in Thames mud.

    EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT 2/5: The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar 2009

  • We were in his office at Lambeth Palace, a brick pile across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament, and a place appealingly free of pomp and circumstance.

    The Velvet Reformation 2009

  • We were in his office at Lambeth Palace, a brick pile across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament, and a place appealingly free of pomp and circumstance.

    The Velvet Reformation 2009

  • In your free time, you can visit Blackwell's Bookshop, a world famous book store that made the Guinness Book of Record for having the most books in one room, the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology or take a punting excursion on the Cherwell or the River Thames, although in Oxford, they call the Thames the Isis.

    Pam Grout: Studying At Oxford Is A Great Excuse To Visit Oxford Pam Grout 2012

  • OF/DH Marcus Thames is the odd man out for now, so he's working some at first base this spring.

    Fantasy Insider: American League projected lineups 2007

  • I was at the bridge where this happened, I happened to be passing and saw all the commotion, and can tell you that the Thames is running faster and higher than normal, and even if I could swim (I cant) I dont think I would have been brave enough to go in. on December 11, 2007 at 10: 41 pm | Reply JOCKtheCOP

    Father Can’t Yell « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2007

  • John Burns turned to her and said, "Ah, my dear lady, you may talk of your Hudson, your Colorado and your Mississippi, but this old Thames is liquid history."

    Empire Relations 1936

  • Where, for instance, throughout its course do you ever hear the Thames spoken of as "Thames" -- as if it was a person, which no doubt it is?

    In a Green Shade A Country Commentary Maurice Hewlett 1892

  • If there was no likelihood of his "setting the Thames on fire," his Father had said once, "there was even less fear of his setting the _house_ on fire," and though Willie did not quite understand about the "Thames" -- how could a _river_ burn?

    The Christmas Fairy and Other Stories Frances E. Crompton 1883

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