low-water mark
Americannoun
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the lowest point reached by a low tide.
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something indicating the bottom of a decline.
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the lowest or least admirable level.
the low-water mark of political chicanery.
noun
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the level reached by seawater at low tide or by other stretches of water at their lowest level
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the lowest point or level; nadir
Etymology
Origin of low-water mark
First recorded in 1520–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kelly’s 18-25 record gives him a .419 winning percentage that ranks below Rick Neuheisel’s .420 mark that has long been considered the program’s low-water mark in the modern era.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2021
Trump’s attorney, Walter Butler, contested the charges in nine separate appearances at the Coney Island Magistrate’s Court, citing case law suggesting that city land ownership ended at the low-water mark.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 18, 2019
Photograph: Andrew Fosker/Rex Features The tide turned on the third day at Ahmedabad, though the change was so slight it is impossible to spot quite where the low-water mark lay.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 18, 2012
The Huskies, in fact, are on pace to allow more yards than they have in any season, even the 0-12 debacle of 2008, the previous low-water mark when UW gave up 451.8 yards per game.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2011
FORESHORE, that part of the seashore which lies between high- and low-water mark at ordinary tides.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6 "Foraminifera" to "Fox, Edward" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
