Thames Longest river in England. It rises in the Cotswold Hills, e Gloucestershire, then flows e across s England and through London to enter the North Sea at The Nore. It is tidal up to Teddington. The Thames Conservancy Board controls the freshwater river; the Port of London Authority administers the river below Teddington. The river is navigable for ocean-going vessels below Tilbury. The Thames Barrier (completed 1982) at Woolwich, London, controls the river's tidal system. Length: 338km (210mi).

Thames a river of southern England, flowing eastwards from Gloucestershire through London to the North Sea, in literary use personified as Father Thames.

See also set the Thames on fire.