headwater

noun

head·​wa·​ter ˈhed-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: the source of a stream

—usually used in plural

Synonyms of headwater

• tributary
• source
• headstream

Examples of headwater in a Sentence

the first exploration of the Missouri River from its mouth to its headwaters was made by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the early 1800s

Recent Examples on the Web

The report’s map showed the browns and yellows of persisting and developing drought across the entire Upper Colorado River Basin except in the Green River headwaters of Wyoming. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 20 Mar. 2026

The area includes headwaters for the South Platte River, a source of drinking and agricultural irrigation water. —Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 18 Mar. 2026

The northernmost headwaters of the Florida Everglades, Shingle Creek flows from the city into nearby Lake Tohopekaliga, eventually reaching the Everglades. —Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2026

Upper Basin States—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—contain headwater tributaries and receive much of their water resources through snowmelt and runoff that drain above Lee’s Ferry. —Outside, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for headwater

• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• manslaughter

Kids Definition

headwater

noun

head·​wa·​ter -ˌwȯt-ər 

-ˌwät-

: the beginning and upper part of a stream

—usually used in plural