Ganges

American  

[gan-jeez] / ˈgæn dʒiz /

noun

1. a river flowing SE from the Himalayas in N India into the Bay of Bengal: sacred to Hindus. 1,550 miles (2,495 km) long.

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Ganges British  

/ ˈɡændʒiːz /

noun

1. Hindi name: Ganga.  the great river of N India and central Bangladesh: rises in two headstreams in the Himalayas and flows southeast to Allahabad, where it is joined by the Jumna; continues southeast into Bangladesh, where it enters the Bay of Bengal in a great delta; the most sacred river to Hindus, with many places of pilgrimage, esp Varanasi. Length: 2507 km (1557 miles)

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Other Word Forms

• Gangetic
  adjective

Example Sentences

The Yamuna river, a major tributary of the Ganges, continues to suffer from severe pollution despite repeated clean-up pledges.

From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025

India's longest and most holy river, the Ganges, is home to thousands of dolphins.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2025

A recent project involved mapping part of the Sundarbans, a vast area of mangrove forests where the waters of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers spill into the Bay of Bengal.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2024

A Ganges avulsion caused by an earthquake could be far worse.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 17, 2024

At last I made the procession to the Ganges with Hari’s body covered with garlands.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan