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

Others, like salmon, return upstream via Metro-North or the Long Island Rail Road to the suburban headwaters in which they were born, in order to spawn. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026

Clear Creek County Commissioner George Marlin makes a compelling case that alone, his small county of about 9,000 residents could never fund the mitigation needed to protect the headwaters of Clear Creek. — Megan Schrader, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2026

The agreement was made at a time when the region had a smaller population and benefited from wetter years, with much more snow to feed the river’s headwaters in the Rocky Mountains. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

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

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