watershed

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

/ ˈwɔ tərˌʃɛd, ˈwɒt ər- /

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noun

Chiefly British. the ridge or crest line dividing two drainage areas; water parting; divide.

the region or area drained by a river, stream, etc.; drainage area.

an important point of division or transition between two phases, conditions, etc.: The treaty to ban war in space may prove to be one of history's great watersheds.

adjective

constituting a watershed: a watershed area; a watershed case.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of watershed

First recorded in 1795–1805; water + shed²

Words nearby watershed

water sapphire, watersaver, waterscape, waterscorpion, water seal, watershed, water shield, water shrew, water-sick, waterside, watersider

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use watershed in a sentence

“I was actually shocked at how torn up that upper end of the watershed was,” Joab said.
Oil Companies Are Profiting From Illegal Spills. And California Lets Them.|by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun, and Lylla Younes, ProPublica|September 18, 2020|ProPublica
Each watershed was thought to be unique—leaving little ability to create a model that would work equally well across different river basins, Nevo explained.
Google bolsters its A.I.-enabled flood alerts for India and Bangladesh|Jeremy Kahn|September 1, 2020|Fortune
Three-quarters of the 1,700-square-mile Tijuana River watershed lies in Mexico.
No One Is Actually in Charge of Solving the Border Sewage Crisis|Dianne Feinstein|August 12, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Given that most of the watershed is in Mexico, this is a binational issue.
No One Is Actually in Charge of Solving the Border Sewage Crisis|Dianne Feinstein|August 12, 2020|Voice of San Diego

I think an over-reliance on grants, especially in public media, is a whole bunch of coverage of the watershed and nowhere near enough coverage of City Hall.
‘We need to be ready to help’: LION Publishers head Chris Krewson on assisting the local news industry|Pierre Bienaimé|July 21, 2020|Digiday
The alleged FBI and U.S. Attorney investigations into the Newark Watershed may have something to do with that.
The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy|Olivia Nuzzi|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a recent interview with NJTV, Booker called the Watershed, “one of the big policy losses that I had in Newark.”
The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy|Olivia Nuzzi|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He tells us about the devastating consequences of these toxins entering the watershed.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero|Darren Aronofsky|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To say that the past few years have been a watershed period of improvement for LGBT America is an understatement.
Mississippi Is Hell for These Lesbians|Emily Shire|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The success of Guardians of the Galaxy maybe, just maybe, could be a watershed moment for women.
'Guardians of the Galaxy' Is Not a Watershed Moment for Women|Kevin Fallon|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He says he would have walked on to the watershed the first day had we only stiffened his force with the 29th Division.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume 2|Ian Hamilton
In so far as our object was to follow up a glacier to the North Col we were now on the wrong side of a watershed.
Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921|Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
In Butler County there are four refineries on the Walnut watershed upstream from the area surveyed.
Fishes of Chautauqua, Cowley and Elk Counties, Kansas|Artie L. Metcalf
A few years ago planting was undertaken on the watershed of the Colorado Springs, Colorado, reservoir.
Our National Forests|Richard H. Douai Boerker
On steep slopes a certain number of trees must be left to protect the watershed and to prevent the erosion of the soil.
Our National Forests|Richard H. Douai Boerker

British Dictionary definitions for watershed

watershed

/ (ˈwɔːtəˌʃɛd) /

noun

the dividing line between two adjacent river systems, such as a ridge

an important period or factor that serves as a dividing line

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

Scientific definitions for watershed

watershed

[ wô′tər-shĕd′ ]

A continuous ridge of high ground forming a divide between two different drainage basins or river systems.

The region enclosed by such a divide and draining into a river, river system, or other body of water.

Cultural definitions for watershed

watershed

A ridge of high land dividing two areas that are drained by different river systems. On one side of a watershed, rivers and streams flow in one direction; on the other side they flow in another direction. Also, the area drained by a water system.

notes for watershed

By extension, a “watershed” is a critical point that serves as a dividing line: “The parties reached a watershed in the contract negotiations.”

watershed

Origin of watershed

Words nearby watershed

Words related to watershed

How to use watershed in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for watershed

Scientific definitions for watershed

Cultural definitions for watershed

notes for watershed