watercourse

American  

[waw-ter-kawrs, -kohrs, wot-er-] / ˈwɔ tərˌkɔrs, -ˌkoʊrs, ˈwɒt ər- /

noun

1. a stream of water, as a river or brook.

2. the bed of a stream that flows only seasonally.

3. a natural channel conveying water.

4. a channel or canal made for the conveyance of water.

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watercourse British  

/ ˈwɔːtəˌkɔːs /

noun

1. a stream, river, or canal

2. the channel, bed, or route along which this flows

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Etymology

Origin of watercourse

First recorded in 1500–10; water + course

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

watercourse

But decades of over-use, coupled with years of drought, have put crippling strain on a watercourse whose management has always been based on an over-allocation of available resources.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Some have even ditched fishing altogether because it is more profitable to sell the plastic waste they trawl out of the river, the world's second-most powerful watercourse after the Amazon.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

She argued it "would be better spent on upgrading water treatment plants beside watercourse in Wales".

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2025

For the serious racers, there was a kind of 'Le Mans' start, with competitors running around a kilometre to the first watercourse, before putting on their skates.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2024

The road was more like a watercourse than a highway.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

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