catchment area

American  

noun

1. an area served by a hospital, social service agency, etc.

2. drainage basin.

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catchment area British  

noun

1. Also called: catchment basin.   drainage area.   drainage basin.  the area of land bounded by watersheds draining into a river, basin, or reservoir

2. the area from which people are allocated to a particular school, hospital, etc

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catchment area Scientific  

/ kăch′mənt,kĕch′- /

1. The area drained by a river or body of water.

2. The area that absorbs water that contributes to a specific region's groundwater supply.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catchment area

Italy represents Lufthansa’s largest catchment area outside the U.S. and its other home markets, making Italy a key hub for connecting passengers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

"In terms of education, I know how lucky we are in be in a good catchment area - but we need to be balancing things out a bit," he added.

From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026

Residents with low incomes in the Tandridge District Council catchment area can request a grant to help with living costs from 10:00 GMT on Monday.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

The authority added that the majority of students at Cantley had come from outside the catchment area and there were surplus places at several nearby schools.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2025

Farmer decided that all TB patients in the catchment area should receive the full package of services, including the equivalent of five American dollars per month.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French