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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of watershed
Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Lee’s defeat represented a watershed moment for the groups fighting for public lands.
—Ali Nolan, Outside, 27 Aug. 2025
Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025
The map shows watersheds where at least one wolf traveled between July 22 and Aug. 26.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Noun
This season was worthy of a watershed memory.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Lee’s defeat represented a watershed moment for the groups fighting for public lands.
—Ali Nolan, Outside, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Without beavers in the watersheds, streams and river beds eroded.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025
The map shows watersheds where at least one wolf traveled between July 22 and Aug. 26.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watershed
Noun
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The moment marked a personal milestone for Baldwin, who said goodbye to dancing 16 years ago after breaking her hip due to overuse.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
James Tour, professor of chemistry and materials science at Rice, called the achievement an industrial milestone.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The atmosphere was electric—a convergence of style, creativity, and community that underscored the growing influence of Black creators during one of fashion’s most pivotal weeks.—
Corein Carter,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The initiative marks a pivotal step in advancing sustainable urban transformation and circular construction practices.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Long Walk comes down to the two of them, and their final stretch is met by a crowd of fans and cameras broadcasting the climax all over the country.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
And as Brown’s book races toward its elaborate climax, his (and Langdon’s) breathless effusions about the neuro-technological progress that awaits us sound jarringly out of sync with the anxious, doomy present.—
Book Marks
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The compilation is Strait’s first set to make it to that impressive landmark figure.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
They were pulled from the Red Barn, a local landmark dating to the early 1900s in this small community southwest of the Keweenaw Peninsula.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
As in the 1970s, the political climate has undergone an epochal shift since 2020.—
Payton McCarty-Simas,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Aug. 2025
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But China in 2025 is suffering the consequences of a Xi era that’s talked a great game of epochal change but achieved little.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In other words, the health of the system is decisive.—
Sandro da Silva,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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But even before Tyler Stephenson’s two-run homer off Robert Suarez broke a tie in the top of the ninth inning and held as the decisive hit in a 4-2 Reds victory, something happened that practically rendered the final score a footnote.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
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
-
Default windows open at a size of 120 columns and 30 rows, up from the previous 80 columns and 24 rows (those numbers were derived from the display resolutions of 1970s-era computer terminals, so the change is quietly momentous).—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
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The installation of the cross on the Jesus tower, by establishing the church’s signature profile, will be a momentous event in the basilica’s history.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Watershed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watershed. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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