as in milestone
a point in a chain of events at which an important change (as in one's fortunes) occurs
a watershed moment in her life came when she inherited a reasonable sum of money and was able to start her own coffee shop
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in pivotal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of watershed
Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The rainfall melted a significant amount of snow in mountain watersheds, which contributed to the flooding in Washington state.
—Alejandro N. Flores, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2026
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
Other creatives and crews in Vancouver also chasing work have embraced the city’s watershed moment in microdrama production as much else in traditional film and TV remains uncertain.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Noun
County officials say the forest will now remain permanently protected, benefiting both residents and the watershed.
—Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The rainfall melted a significant amount of snow in mountain watersheds, which contributed to the flooding in Washington state.
—Alejandro N. Flores, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Since Kimmel's watershed moment in late September, late night TV has been quiet.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
Other creatives and crews in Vancouver also chasing work have embraced the city’s watershed moment in microdrama production as much else in traditional film and TV remains uncertain.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watershed
Noun
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Most recently, Damon added another major milestone by winning the 2025 USA Boxing National Championships and earning a spot on Team USA's national youth roster.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The testing milestone marks a key step toward launching the robotaxi service in the San Francisco Bay Area later in 2026.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The pivotal play in the game came early in the fourth quarter with Houston leading 10-6.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
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As lawmakers return to Tallahassee for their 2026 session, education and its underlying budget — more than a quarter of the state’s annual spending — again are poised to play a pivotal role in the legislative process.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The principal cast and crew took the stage at the Globes in the climax of the night to receive the award for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
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Tonight’s penultimate episode of season two feels like an anti-climax — not just a letdown generally, but the diametric opposite of a climax.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Now, in an epochal recurrence that would have pleased George Mackay Brown, Structure 10 had been sealed up again.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
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Chinese thought leaders conceived of the strategy in epochal terms.—
Alex Wang,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The city skyline is seen with the landmark Taipei 101 building from a lookout point on Elephant Mountain in Taipei on April 14, 2025.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
16 Jan. 2026
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Facial dynamics were quantified using the Euclidean distance between facial landmarks from the resting expression and subsequent frames, with peak activation defined at the frame showing the largest acceleration of change.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Dahlin was decisive with his shot, which helped a slumping power play get on the board twice.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
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Woodbridge coach Steven Scoggin didn’t look at the end as the decisive moment.—
Martin Henderson,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Not wrong for much of the last three decades — but Saturday night’s gig, and all the joyous revelry surrounding it, showed why the Live ’25 Tour has been payoff enough for none of them to look back in anger at any of it.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The new first lady of New York City wore a style from the independent luxury label Miista, specifically the brand’s Shelley boots, for the momentous occasion held in the former city hall subway at midnight.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
9 Jan. 2026
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The crypto industry is hoping to build on its momentous progress in 2026.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watershed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watershed. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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