BahamasBa·ha·mas (b?-hä?m?z) also Ba·ha·ma Islands (-m?) An island country in the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida and Cuba comprising some 700 islands and islets and numerous cays. The country gained its independence from Great Britain in 1973. Nassau, on New Providence Island, is the capital and the largest city.Ba·ha?mi·an (-h??m?-?n, -hä?-), Ba·ha?man (-hä?m?n, -h??-) adj. & n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.