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

The issue has been hugely controversial along the River Wye in recent years, with as many as 23 million chickens - a quarter of the UK's poultry production - raised in the river's catchment area.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

It was suggested schools could reduce admission numbers, change their catchment area, share resources, merge or face closure.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2025

Clinton Devon Estates manage several farms in the Devon catchment area where the trial wild beaver project has been running.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2025

All primary schools in both Holyhead and the Amlwch catchment area have announced they will remain closed on Friday, while many schools in western Anglesey also decided to shut due to the weather risks.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2025

In Haiti, TB still killed more adults than any other disease, but no one in the catchment area had died from it since 1988.

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