low-water mark

noun

the lowest point reached by a low tide.

something indicating the bottom of a decline.

the lowest or least admirable level: the low-water mark of political chicanery.

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Origin of low-water mark

First recorded in 1520–30

Words nearby low-water mark

low-tech, low-tension, low-test, low-ticket, low-velocity zone, low-water mark, lowan, lowball, lowborn, lowboy, lowbred

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for low-water mark

I'm at low-water-mark myself—only one bob and a magpie; but, as far as it goes, I'll fork out and stump.
Oliver Twist, Illustrated|Charles Dickens
When did he ever go down to low-water-mark, to make an ousting of tide-waiters?
The Works of Daniel Webster, Volume 1|Daniel Webster

British Dictionary definitions for low-water mark

low-water mark

noun

the level reached by seawater at low tide or by other stretches of water at their lowest level

the lowest point or level; nadir

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012