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River Thames

River Thames

1 2.7
A long river in England that flows east through London to the North Sea
  • proper noun
translation icon : río Támesis
  • The River Thames has played a crucial role in London's history as a major trade route.
  • banks of the River Thames
  • River Thames at the Tower

Examples

  • Dagenham, on London's River Thames, is one of the great anvils of the motor industry.

  • People skating on the River Thames.

  • I passed along the River Thames

  • Every time, the same link: the River Thames.

  • Big Ben stands by the River Thames

  • Civil defense authorities have declared a state of emergency for all London areas within three miles of the River Thames.

  • Twenty feet above our heads is the River Thames.

  • Well, here I am in London on the banks of the River Thames, and once more watching this movie that I've spent two and a half years making.

  • While the United States blocks yet another UN resolution on global warming London continues to suffer as the River Thames rises to its highest level since Black November, 1999.

  • What a shame no one bothered to include Tilbury Fort, by the River Thames in Essex in England!

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Synonyms

Thames
vsRiver Thames
24 4.2

A long river in England that flows east through London to the North Sea

is the full form including the generic term
Thames River
vsRiver Thames
1 2.8

A long river in England that flows east through London to the North Sea

is the same name but with the generic term before it

Surface Forms

Morphology

river + Thames

This is transparently compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'river' and the proper name 'Thames' will understand it refers to a river called the Thames (i.e. a specific watercourse). Proper-name + noun constructions are referential and cross-linguistically common, not idiomatic, so the basic meaning is immediately derivable from the parts.

Etymology

River Thames may come from an old language word meaning 'dark', so Thames once described a 'dark river'. That's why the name now simply refers to the long river that flows through London.