as in milestones
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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Recent Examples of watersheds
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
The team installed beaver-style dams across the Cache la Poudre and Willow Creek watersheds — both burned in the 2020 wildfires — to help slow water flow and instead spread the water over a floodplain.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
Their results suggest that early Mars was a patchwork of isolated watersheds, but that a small number of mega-basins acted as planetary conveyor belts, transporting nutrients and potential biosignatures across immense distances.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Dec. 2025
This newest land acquisition is part of a plan to create a 10,000-acre natural habitat corridor that runs from Folsom to Rancho Murieta and includes the Cosumnes and Deer Creek watersheds.
—James Taylor, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025
How much water ultimately makes it into that system depends on snowmelt and rainfall on the Salt and Verde watersheds, which SRP is trying to track more accurately.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The village’s environment department is repairing treatment plants, restoring watersheds and working on accessing federal aid.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
The new partnership between farmers and advocates will let agriculture prosper while protecting one of Indiana's largest watersheds.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 25 Sep. 2025
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino Quintero pledged to restore 250,000 acres of ecosystems, including mangroves and watersheds.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
Alejandro N. Flores, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2026
The team installed beaver-style dams across the Cache la Poudre and Willow Creek watersheds — both burned in the 2020 wildfires — to help slow water flow and instead spread the water over a floodplain.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
Their results suggest that early Mars was a patchwork of isolated watersheds, but that a small number of mega-basins acted as planetary conveyor belts, transporting nutrients and potential biosignatures across immense distances.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Dec. 2025
This newest land acquisition is part of a plan to create a 10,000-acre natural habitat corridor that runs from Folsom to Rancho Murieta and includes the Cosumnes and Deer Creek watersheds.
—James Taylor, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025
How much water ultimately makes it into that system depends on snowmelt and rainfall on the Salt and Verde watersheds, which SRP is trying to track more accurately.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The village’s environment department is repairing treatment plants, restoring watersheds and working on accessing federal aid.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
The new partnership between farmers and advocates will let agriculture prosper while protecting one of Indiana's largest watersheds.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 25 Sep. 2025
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino Quintero pledged to restore 250,000 acres of ecosystems, including mangroves and watersheds.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watersheds
Noun
-
Bank of China’s Pivotal Role and Future Innovations Zhu Jing of Bank of China (Hong Kong) detailed the milestones leading to the MOU.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Daniel, for his part, keeps his feet on the ground amid aspirations for bigger milestones.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
From nearly every vantage point, the estate offers unobstructed views of the Mokulua Islands, the twin islets that sit just offshore and rank among O‘ahu’s most recognizable natural landmarks.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
22 Jan. 2026
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To see the city from above, reserve a helicopter tour that will whisk you past Montreal’s landmarks or arrange a romantic hot-air balloon experience at either sunrise or sunset.—
Carolyn Heller,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There was plenty of raw energy in climaxes, sometimes too much for so supportive and reinforcing an acoustic as the Meyerson Symphony Center’s.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Jan. 2026
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Thus a wonderful section on The Jew of Malta climaxes in an unfortunate vision of the text as a secret message to Lord Strange, a wealthy and important patron of the arts.—
Isaac Butler,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The other women look at him from the corners of their eyes, and move carefully to the other side of the well.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
On draft night, Dëmin’s selection was questioned in some corners, framed as a reach or a gamble.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watersheds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watersheds. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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