high-water mark

[hahy-waw-ter, -wot-er]

noun

1. a mark showing the highest level reached by a body of water.

2. the highest point of anything; acme.

   Her speech was the high-water mark of the conference.

high-water mark

noun

1. 1. the level reached by sea water at high tide or by other stretches of water in flood

   2. the mark indicating this level

2. the highest point

Word History and Origins

Origin of high-water mark¹

First recorded in 1545–55

Idioms and Phrases

The peak of something, especially an achievement. For example, This composition is the high-water mark of his entire output. This expression alludes to the highest mark left on shore by the tide. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

They've come to see that moment of celebration after the inquests as their high-water mark.

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Trump's discredited audio-visual presentation of what he said was the systematic extermination of white Afrikaner farmers was the high-water mark of their lobbying efforts, amplified as they were in the Oval Office.

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It remains for me the high-water mark of Beckett acting.

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“It’s still the high-water mark for a heavy electric guitar over a dance-pop beat,” Ronson says of Jackson and producer Quincy Jones’ crack at creating a rock song for the world-conquering “Thriller” LP.

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The most recent high-water mark for best picture box office was in 2023, when, for the first time, more than one contender grossed over $1 billion globally.

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Related Words

• apex 
• apogee 
• upper limit www.thesaurus.com