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Thales

American  
[they-leez] / ˈθeɪ liz /

noun

  1. c640–546? b.c., Greek philosopher, born in Miletus.


Thales British  
/ ˈθeɪliːz /

noun

  1. ?624–?546 bc , Greek philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, born in Miletus. He held that water was the origin of all things and he predicted the solar eclipse of May 28, 585 bc

"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

Thales Scientific  
/ thālēz /
  1. Greek philosopher who was considered by later Greek writers to be a founder of geometry and abstract astronomy. He is said to have accurately predicted a solar eclipse in 585 bce, although this and certain other stories associated with Thales have been questioned by modern scholars.


Thales Cultural  
  1. An ancient philosopher of Greece, called by some the first genuine Greek philosopher. He lived about 600 years before Jesus and about 150 years before Socrates.


Discover More

Thales is known for predicting an eclipse and thus contributing to the idea that the heavens were separate from the gods.

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.

See Examples For:

Leonardo, along with Airbus and French defence firm Thales, meanwhile plan to merge their satellite operations to create a powerhouse to compete against Elon Musk's Starlink internet system.

From Barron's Jul. 22, 2026

Destinus, MBDA, Safran, Airbus and Thales signed a letter of intent to develop the Bliksem EXO system to intercept ballistic missiles.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 14, 2026

The deal is expected to be earnings accretive and will have no impact on the existing dividend policy, Thales said.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 6, 2026

Thales will pay 134 euros a share—a 44% premium to Exail’s share price on June 25, the date before speculation emerged of a potential third-party bid.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 6, 2026

The first Ionian scientist was Thales of Miletus, a city in Asia across a narrow channel of water from the island of Samos.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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