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
Mike Coffman, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026
The states also disagree on how much water should be released from dams in the upper watershed to prevent the river’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, from falling to perilously low levels.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Rena Ronson, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
NikeSkims, the watershed partnership between sportswear giant Nike and Kim Kardashian‘s label-of-the-moment Skims, has just made a splash in the world of footwear.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Noun
Because Aurora is not located near a major river or natural water body, nearly all of the water residents use begins as mountain snowpack, captured as runoff and transported from watersheds as far as 150 miles away.
—Mike Coffman, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026
The states also disagree on how much water should be released from dams in the upper watershed to prevent the river’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, from falling to perilously low levels.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
That film, now recognized as a watershed moment, helped revolutionize the independent film business.
—Rena Ronson, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
NikeSkims, the watershed partnership between sportswear giant Nike and Kim Kardashian‘s label-of-the-moment Skims, has just made a splash in the world of footwear.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watershed
Noun
-
Faculty celebrated the milestone as a sign their work—and their place on campus—was finally being recognized as valuable.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The moment land became a milestone, the campaign accelerated.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That matched the consensus forecast but kept the pivotal inflation measure well above the Fed’s 2% target.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
-
After Clark stepped down on Tuesday because an internal investigation unearthed an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, the union announced on Wednesday that Meyer will take over on an interim basis entering a pivotal year for the future of the sport.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The monologue, about a Katrina hero known as Miss Pat who fed neighbors during the storm, became the climax of the evening, especially after the real-life Miss Pat came onstage.—
Sarah Hepola,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
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The band has never sounded this melodic before; Wroth in particular brings a constant dynamism to his guitar solos, often layering two and reaching climaxes that refuse to collapse into just a flurry of notes, building off Phantom Slaughter’s keyboard melodies with a real sense of drama.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In a city willing to displace a community garden or a newsstand to claw back a few extra feet, the Armory’s yawning, epochal emptiness seems like poking through your medicine cabinet and finding an alternate universe behind it.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
10 Feb. 2026
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This game paired two epochal running backs and 2000s MVPs, but neither found much room.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Eco effort Despite the constraints of the property’s 1960 construction and historic landmark status, the units have been modernized with on-demand hot water heaters and efficient mini-split heating and air-conditioning units to reduce fossil fuel use.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Mark Zuckerberg said Instagram isn’t designed to addict young users while on the stand in a landmark trial on the harms of social media.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Crimson got goals from Samuel Biederwolf, Luke Steen, Jaden Roueche, Grady Kranz, Henry Miller, Matthew Johnson and Wyatt Kuznik in the decisive win.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
19 Feb. 2026
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The vote on Wednesday proved to be more decisive for Meyer.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Rather than presenting a united front before a momentous negotiation, the strike shows the WGA West in apparent internal disarray and short-staffed leading into a demanding time.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Feb. 2026
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Just earlier today, news emerged that Amazon had surpassed Walmart as the world’s largest company, measured by sales, a momentous occasion highlighting the e-commerce behemoth’s continuing dominance.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watershed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watershed. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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