watershed

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

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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

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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

To these vintners, Measure C’s provisions are modest: New vineyards must be kept at least 25 feet away from streams, and only 795 acres of oak trees in land zoned as agricultural watershed may be removed in order to plant vineyards.

— esther mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, "Battle for Napa Valley’s future: Proposed curb on vineyards divides county," 9 Apr. 2018
Between now and the end of August, two state panels will recommend to the General Assembly whether Tilcon should get to turn more than 100 acres of protected watershed into a gravel quarry.

— don stacom, Courant Community, "Environmentalists Mustering Tilcon Quarry Opposition," 5 Apr. 2018
But this pilot season could be something of a watershed.

— sulagna misra, HWD, "From Superhero Shows to Soaps, South Asian Actors Are Taking Over TV," 30 Mar. 2018
In 2015, the search for a binational approach to the issues led to Minute 320, a U.S.-Mexico agreement that looked at ways to resolve issues in the watershed.

— sandra dibble, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tijuana sewage spills have been an environmental problem for decades so what's the solution?," 25 Mar. 2018
The town of Marshall, which has a population of about 900, had long wanted to protect the watershed.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "NC mountain town protects its watershed to keep water clean | Charlotte Observer," 23 Mar. 2018
The discovery of REM sleep in 1951 marks one of the major watershed moments in the science of dreams.

— linda rodriguez mcrobbie, BostonGlobe.com, "How our dreams made us human," 23 Mar. 2018
The conservancy helped the Conservation Trust for North Carolina conserve Asheville's watershed.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "NC mountain town protects its watershed to keep water clean | Charlotte Observer," 23 Mar. 2018
Coke supports several such water-conservation projects and focuses on replenishing by providing access to clean water, conserving and restoring watersheds, harvesting rainwater and providing water for irrigation.

— joshua bowling, azcentral, "Farmers, Coca-Cola and conservationists: Unlikely partners fight drought along Verde River," 19 Mar. 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

See Words from the same year

in the meaning defined at sense 2b

NEW! Time Traveler

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