Word
HMS
Phoneticshms
Definitions
01naval ship prefix
n. Stands for His/Her Majesty's Ship. It is the official title used before the name of a ship in the British Royal Navy.
n. Abbreviation for His/Her Majesty's Ship. A formal prefix used for commissioned vessels of the British Royal Navy and certain other monarchical navies.
“The sailors stood on the deck of HMS Victory during the ceremony.”
“The deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth to the region was seen as a significant demonstration of naval capability and diplomatic intent.”
Formal · British English
Usage
Always placed before the specific name of the vessel without an article.
Teaching tip
The 'H' changes between 'His' and 'Her' depending on whether the current British monarch is a King or a Queen.
02time notation
n. Stands for hours, minutes, and seconds. You see this in math or on stopwatches to show exactly how long something takes.
n. Abbreviation for hour-minute-second. A standard notation used in mathematics, computing, and navigation to express duration or coordinates.
“The race results were recorded in HMS format to show the exact finish times.”
“The software requires the input to be formatted in HMS to ensure the astronomical calculations remain precise to the second.”
Technical
Usage
Often written in lowercase (hms) or as a colon-separated string in technical contexts.
Teaching tip
This is mostly found in technical manuals, scientific papers, or digital interfaces rather than general prose.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“The bell, rescued from the wreck of HMS Lutine, has been used since 1858 to alert insurance underwriters to a maritime disaster.” “When Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835 aboard the HMS Beagle , he collected a variety of birds and returned with them to England.” Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hms