Synonyms of headwaters

headwaters

noun

plural of headwater

as in tributary

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
• head
• spring
• fountain
• fountainhead
• wellspring
• hot spring
• geyser
• branch
• feeder
• headspring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of headwaters

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

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

Lake Assinica in the Broadback headwaters has attracted world-wide attention for its giant squaretails the past two years. — Marc Terziev, Outdoor Life, 25 June 2026

Long-term drought fueled by climate change has shrunk the Colorado River’s flows as federal officials and water leaders in the seven basin states — including Colorado, home to its headwaters — struggle to agree on longer-term plans for the river’s management. — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 21 June 2026

While the river’s headwaters are near Salem, most of the outfitters are located in Steelville. — Kelsey Yandura, Midwest Living, 17 June 2026

These burn areas create barriers around villages, headwaters and sensitive sites, protecting them from wildfires during peak drought. — ABC News, 7 June 2026

The Cassai Life Atlas discoveries build on a decade's worth of surveys led by the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project within the Okavango and Lungwevungu headwaters, which uncovered a combined total of over 70 species confirmed new to science, according to The Wilderness Project. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026