watershed

noun wa·ter·shed \ ˈwȯ-tər-ˌshed , ˈwä- \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: watershed Has Geographic Origins

Definition of watershed

1 : a crucial dividing point, line, or factor : turning point

2 a : a region or area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water

b : divide 2a

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watershed

adjective

See watershed defined for English-language learners

See watershed defined for kids

watershed was our Word of the Day on 03/23/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of watershed in a Sentence

The show will not air until after the nine o'clock watershed.
a watershed moment in her life came when she inherited a reasonable sum of money and was able to start her own coffee shop

Recent Examples of watershed from the Web

That program helped more than 175 homeowners transform their landscapes into climate-appropriate mini-watersheds that not only save water, but achieve additional benefits such as reducing storm water runoff and lessening green waste.

— Pomerado News, "Water agencies increase incentives to replace turf," 13 July 2018
Held earlier this month in Chicago, the 2018 James Beard Awards were a watershed.

— refinery29.com, "How These Rising Star Chefs Are Changing A Toxic Industry Culture," 30 May 2018
Last week, county officials announced plans to install dozens of advanced stream gauges at 16 spots in a four-square-mile watershed in the area as part of a plan to find ways to improve flood-warning systems for Ellicott City.

— alicia a. caldwell, WSJ, "Historic Maryland Town Hit by a Second Devastating Flood Since 2016," 28 May 2018
Judging by geography, the remains are likely those of a Leni Lenape, people who lived for thousands of years along the Delaware River watershed in what is now New Jersey, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, and New York City.

— jeff gammage, Philly.com, "At Byberry Quaker library, a grim find: Native American remains in display case," 21 May 2018
That 2003 race was a watershed as the organizers ditched the prize money and went all-in on the funky, quirky, hometown race.

— john aerni-flessner, Cincinnati.com, "Flying Pig 2018: On 20th anniversary, 2003 winner offers advice and reflects on his race," 4 May 2018
The dual graduation of Loon and Wing—both big, ambitious, projects—marks a watershed for X and perhaps the moment when the secretive research and design division starts to make good on its mission.

— alex davies, WIRED, "Inside X, the Moonshot Factory Racing to Build the Next Google," 11 July 2018
Separately, the state board expects to release later this year a parallel proposal for allowing more of the Sacramento River watershed to cascade through the Delta and wash out to sea.

— dale kasler, sacbee, "California has a new plan for allocating its water, and it means less for farmers," 6 July 2018
Each patch represents a watershed—a hydrographic basin—where all rainfall drains into a common outlet.

— john f. ross, Smithsonian, "The Visionary John Wesley Powell Had a Plan for Developing the West, But Nobody Listened," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'watershed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

watershed Has Geographic Origins

Opinion on the literal geographic meaning of "watershed" is divided. On one side of the debate are those who think the word can only refer to a ridge of land separating rivers and streams flowing in one direction from those flowing in the opposite direction. That's the term's original meaning, one probably borrowed in the translation of the German Wasserscheide. On the other side of the argument are those who think "watershed" can also apply to the area through which such divided water flows. The latter sense is now far more common in America, but most Americans have apparently decided to leave the quarrel to geologists and geographers while they use the term in its figurative sense, "turning point."

First Known Use of watershed

1764

in the meaning defined at sense 2b

See Words from the same year

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watershed Synonyms

Synonyms

climax, corner, landmark, milepost, milestone, turning point;

conversion, metamorphosis, transfiguration, transformation, turnabout, turnaround;

boiling point, breaking point, clutch, conjuncture, crisis, crossroad(s), crunch, emergency, head, juncture, zero hour;

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

WATERSHED Defined for English Language Learners

watershed

noun

Definition of watershed for English Language Learners

: a time when an important change happens
: a line of hills or mountains from which rivers drain : a ridge between two rivers
: the area of land that includes a particular river or lake and all the rivers, streams, etc., that flow into it