Potomac

American  

[puh-toh-muhk] / pəˈtoʊ mək /

noun

1. a river flowing SE from the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, along the boundary between Maryland and Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay. 287 miles (460 km) long.

2. a city in central Maryland, near Washington, D.C.

---

Potomac British  

/ pəˈtəʊmək /

noun

1. a river in the E central US, rising in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia: flows northeast, then generally southeast to Chesapeake Bay. Length (from the confluence of headstreams): 462 km (287 miles)

---

Example Sentences

The historic course sits along the Potomac River with views of the Washington Monument from nearly every hole.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026

The president is also seeking to build a 250-foot-tall “triumphal arch” near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River at the foot of Memorial Bridge.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

The cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, where hundreds of thousands of American veterans are buried, is considered one of the most hallowed sites in the country.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

To accompany this change, Trump is preparing to install a “Garden of Heroes” in Washington, D.C.’s West Potomac Park featuring statues of historical figures handpicked by himself.

From Salon • May 11, 2026

Booth is barely across the Potomac when David Herold approaches the bridge.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly