high-water

1 of 2

adjective

high-wa·​ter ˈhī-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: unusually short

high-water pants

high water

2 of 2

noun

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

also : high tide sense 1

Examples of high-water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That documentary, about the life and career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, opened in 34 theaters in 2018 and platformed onto 432 screens, eventually grossing over $14 million to set the genre’s financial high-water mark for a film about a stand-alone political figure. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026

Baseball had nine players in the top 100, including two who earned more than $100 million—the previous MLB high-water mark was $72 million. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 14 Jan. 2026

Noun

Alphabet’s massive increase in AI infrastructure spending sets a new high water mark just one week after Meta stunned the Street by announcing plans to nearly double its capex to between $115 billion and $135 billion this year. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026

Wisconsin's Lake Michigan neighbors, Michigan and Indiana, have taken this issue up to their respective Supreme Courts, ultimately protecting the right to walk on Great Lakes beaches below the high water mark. —Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1856, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for high-water

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