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
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Recent Examples of headwater
That’s true of everyone from headwaters to delta, farm to city.
—
Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Tie money to measurable results and sound governance, and benefits can travel from headwater villages to port cities linked by trade.
—William Jones, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Biologist Fabiola ‘Fabby’ Baeza-Tarin and an unexpected team work together to protect the sparrows, their shrinking habitat and the headwaters of the Everglades.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
The mine would restrict access to its tribal members, on top of creating heightened risks of mine runoff entering into the headwaters and decreasing dwindling fish populations, according to the lawsuit.
—Kevin Fixler
september 20, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headwater
Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Tie money to measurable results and sound governance, and benefits can travel from headwater villages to port cities linked by trade.
—William Jones, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Biologist Fabiola ‘Fabby’ Baeza-Tarin and an unexpected team work together to protect the sparrows, their shrinking habitat and the headwaters of the Everglades.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
The mine would restrict access to its tribal members, on top of creating heightened risks of mine runoff entering into the headwaters and decreasing dwindling fish populations, according to the lawsuit.
—Kevin Fixler
september 20, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwater
Noun
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History is everywhere in Okinawa, which from 1429 to 1879 was the Ryukyu Kingdom, a tributary state under China’s Ming and Qing dynasties.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
16 Jan. 2026
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The falls are also named for this blue-green water, which eventually flows into the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River through side canyons and tributaries.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Venezuela was hardly an impartial source; nor was OPEC, of which Caracas was a founding member and to which the new numbers were officially reported.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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Later, sources told CNN the Justice Department stopped investigating the agent and federal authorities refused to share information with local investigators.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwater. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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