A deep-water estuary 6 km (4 miles) long, formed by the James River where it joins Chesapeake Bay, on the Atlantic coast in south-eastern Virginia.
Definition of Hampton Roads in US English:
Hampton Roads
proper noun
A deep-water estuary in southeastern Virginia, 4 miles (6 km) long, that is formed by the James River where it joins Chesapeake Bay. It is the site of the battle between the ships Merrimac and Monitor in 1862 during the Civil War.