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Bahamas

American  
[buh-hah-muhz, -hey-] / bəˈhɑ məz, -ˈheɪ- /

noun

  1. (used with a plural verb) a group of islands in the W Atlantic Ocean, SE of Florida.

  2. (used with a singular verb) an independent country comprising this group: formerly a British colony; gained independence 1973. 4,404 sq. mi. (11,406 sq. km). Nassau.


Bahamas British  
/ bəˈhɑːməz /

plural noun

  1. a group of over 700 coral islands (about 20 of which are inhabited) in the Caribbean: a British colony from 1783 until 1964; an independent nation within the Commonwealth from 1973. Language: English. Currency: Bahamian dollar. Capital: Nassau. Pop: 319 031 (2013 est). Area: 13 939 sq km (5381 sq miles)

"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

Bahamas Cultural  
  1. Republic in the Atlantic Ocean, consisting of 700 islands and islets and 2,400 smaller islands, called cays.


Discover More

The Bahamas were under the control of Britain until 1973, when they became an independent, self-governing state.

The Bahamas are a popular winter resort.

Other Word Forms

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.

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A private offshore investment firm based in the Bahamas called Capital Truth acquired a portion of an SPV that owned pre-IPO SpaceX shares.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 6, 2026

The entrepreneur has a $3.8 million 55-foot Valhalla sport yacht powered by four 600-hp engines, which have turned the roughly 60-mile trip between Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Bimini in the Bahamas into a lunchtime jaunt.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 27, 2026

Don spent three months in the Bahamas manning underwater cameras for the 1954 Disney film “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 12, 2026

On Friday the president begged off attending his son Donald Jr.’s wedding in the Bahamas, saying, “This is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran.”

From Salon May 28, 2026

Dadi, meanwhile, looked like she may as well have been sipping a sloe gin fizz in the Bahamas.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

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