51Թ

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View synonyms for

watershed

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

noun

  1. Chiefly British. the ridge or crest line dividing two drainage areas; water parting; divide.
  2. the region or area drained by a river, stream, etc.; drainage area.
  3. Architecture. wash ( def 45 ).
  4. 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

  1. constituting a watershed:

    a watershed area; a watershed case.

watershed

/ ˈɔːəˌʃɛ /

noun

  1. the dividing line between two adjacent river systems, such as a ridge
  2. 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

watershed

/ ôə-ĕ′ /

  1. A continuous ridge of high ground forming a divide between two different drainage basins or river systems.
  2. The region enclosed by such a divide and draining into a river, river system, or other body of water.

watershed

  1. 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.
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Notes

By extension, a “watershed” is a critical point that serves as a dividing line: “The parties reached a watershed in the contract negotiations.”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of watershed1

First recorded in 1795–1805; water + shed 2
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

President Donald Trump has unveiled plans for sweeping new import taxes on all goods entering the US, in a watershed moment for global trade.

From

"Missing that penalty was undoubtedly a watershed moment that made me stronger, a better man," Sir Gareth said at the lecture.

From

It was her vehicle that I would later steal - something of a watershed moment.

From

The health of the watersheds we all drink from also depends on forest and range management.

From

He pointed to the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska, which was scrapped in 2023 after the EPA determined its waste would harm salmon fishery areas in the Bristol Bay watershed.

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