high-water

1 of 2

adjective

high-wa·​ter ˈhī-ˌwȯ-tər How to pronounce high-water (audio)
-ˌwä-
: unusually short
high-water pants

high water

2 of 2

noun

: a high stage of the water in a river or lake

Examples of high-water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In 2004, the CSUF speech and debate team hit a high-water mark with an appearance in the quarterfinals of the National Debate Tournament. Contributing Writer, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2024 The film, a high-water mark for the buddy-cop genre, proved to be an immediate blockbuster (topping the box office that year) and made an international superstar out of Murphy, still in his early 20s and not far removed from his stint on Saturday Night Live. Andrew Lawrence, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2024 That golden light within started the high-water mark for the visuals. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024 Besides 7 million sandbags, Ward said swift-water rescue teams, high-water vehicles, sheltering supplies for almost 40,000 people — such as food, cots, blankets and water — and other emergency response resources are pre-positioned. Katie Lauer, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024 Last year’s delivery total beat the previous high-water mark of 13,221, set in 2022, by 442 vehicles or about three percent. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 2 Feb. 2024 Numerous agencies joined a search to find the Corrigan man, whose body was found in the high-water location of Piney Creek Road at about midnight on Thursday, authorities said. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 26 Jan. 2024 Local anglers might chalk the decline up to everything from a few high-water events during critical spawning periods, to an influx of invasive flathead catfish, to rising water temperatures in the central and lower parts of the system. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 11 Jan. 2024 Ross Perot, the independent candidate, set the high-water mark with 14% of the vote in 1992 and 6.5% in 1996 in Maryland, but other candidates have all won less than 3% of the vote in at least the past three decades. Sam Janesch, Baltimore Sun, 11 Jan. 2024
Noun
Wafer fabrication demands high water usage with low recycling rates, contributing to the supply-chain water footprint with limited transparency on actual usage data. Cindy Gordon, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Originally, that section was not covered in concrete because of the high water table there; it was instead lined with big stones at the bottom, with concrete sloped walls. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2024 For example, cucumbers have a high water content—which can help with hydration—and are low in calories. Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 15 Feb. 2024 Reports showed that many fish attempted to return to their home reaches to spawn, but low water flows caused high water temperatures, which allowed disease to proliferate. Alka Tripathy-Lang, Ars Technica, 11 Jan. 2024 That cannot be our high water mark as a civilization. Steve Mollman, Fortune, 30 Dec. 2023 In a follow-up survey in the early summer, Grams documented an even more dramatic scouring—about 33 feet in just six months—thanks to the season’s high water flows. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Jan. 2024 In early January, the company warned customers that high water levels would cause problems along the local network. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024 Now, with the inundation of water and nutrient pollution, tree islands were disappearing due to high water levels, while some parts of the Everglades that were once wet year-round were experiencing drought. Michael Adno, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'high-water.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1856, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of high-water was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near high-water

Cite this Entry

“High-water.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-water. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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