as in pinnacle
the highest part or point
he hit the high-water mark of his acting career when he played Tiny Tim in a school play
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Recent Examples of high-water mark
The Weeknd reached a new high-water mark on Spotify this week.
—
Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2023
How San Francisco settles the debate could reverberate throughout the reparations movement, setting a high-water mark for an effort that has been criticized for, so far, producing small sums.
—Emmanuel Felton, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023
This year’s crop of competitors is a far cry from recent years when the starting roster has approached triple digits, hitting a high-water mark of 96 mushers in 2008 (though a more modest number, 78, crossed the finish line).
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Feb. 2023
In Paso Robles, dozens of makeshift encampments sprang up along roadways, above the Salinas’ high-water mark.
—Jeremy Miller, WIRED, 18 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for high-water mark
Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2023
How San Francisco settles the debate could reverberate throughout the reparations movement, setting a high-water mark for an effort that has been criticized for, so far, producing small sums.
—Emmanuel Felton, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023
This year’s crop of competitors is a far cry from recent years when the starting roster has approached triple digits, hitting a high-water mark of 96 mushers in 2008 (though a more modest number, 78, crossed the finish line).
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Feb. 2023
In Paso Robles, dozens of makeshift encampments sprang up along roadways, above the Salinas’ high-water mark.
—Jeremy Miller, WIRED, 18 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for high-water mark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-water mark
Noun
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However, instead of reaching their professional pinnacle of success, many of them have accrued 47% of the nation’s outstanding student loan debt.—
Colleen Batchelder,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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The experience gets even better with a group of friends, and reaches its pinnacle in the Florida Keys, where personal watercraft, thanks to their swiftness, agility, and minimal draft, are ideal vessels to explore the pristine, and often shallow waters.—
Jeremy Korzeniewski,
Robb Report,
12 July 2025
Noun
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As luck had it, there was room in the script for a new character and Bad Bunny was top of mind.—
Anna Tingley,
Variety,
22 July 2025
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That sense of positivity was further built during Euro qualifying earlier this year, as Italy finished top of their group ahead of the Netherlands, who won the competition in 2017.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
Noun
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Some shows in the U.S. later in the year might be about the zenith of anything that anybody ever imagined really.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
16 July 2025
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More than 100 years after the Italian composer reached the zenith of his theatrical powers, Puccini still pries open the human heart with his intense — and intensely orchestrated — music.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Noun
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That said, every year that goes by, their anxiety reaches new heights.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
20 July 2025
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Baumgartner helped popularize the extreme sport of BASE jumping, parachuting from heights both natural and man-made including the Christ The Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the Empire State Building in New York City.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
18 July 2025
Noun
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This coming year will be the culmination of our yearly gathering in Park City for the Sundance Film Festival.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
14 July 2025
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In October 1971, the Shah anointed himself as the culmination of 2,500 years of Persian history with an extravagant birthday party for the Persian Empire.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
13 July 2025
Noun
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During the last five years, the stock increased on the day following earnings in 78% of occurrences, registering a median positive return of 1.5% and a peak one-day gain of 3.6%.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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That peak came after Target's sales rose more than $15 billion in the fiscal year following the start of the Covid pandemic, but its annual revenue has stagnated for the past four years.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Hangman turned the chairs around back-to-back and hit a powerbomb at the apex of the chairs.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
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Linda Farrow is one of those brands that perennially seems to be at the swirling apex of fashion and pop culture.—
Alison S. Cohn,
Vogue,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“High-water mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-water%20mark. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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