Synonyms of headwater

headwater

noun

ˈhed-ˌwȯ-tər 

as in tributary

usually headwaters plural the beginning part of a stream

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tributary
• source
• headstream
• spring
• head
• fountain
• fountainhead
• wellspring
• hot spring
• geyser
• branch
• feeder
• headspring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of headwater

Following an exceedingly warm year that has left the Colorado River’s headwaters in the Rocky Mountains largely snowless, Lake Mead is nearing a record-low level. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Several sensitive native fish have now settled in, including the speckled dace and the headwater chub. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2026

Its headwaters are in Indian River County, its mouth in the Atlantic near Jacksonville, which is the furthest place Sanders Fish House delivers its wild catch. — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2026

Grinnell Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana Covering around a million acres, Glacier National Park provides the headwaters for streams that flow to the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Hudson Bay. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 26 June 2026