watercourse

noun

wa·​ter·​course ˈwȯ-tər-ˌkȯrs 

ˈwä-

1

: a natural or artificial channel through which water flows

2

: a stream of water (such as a river, brook, or underground stream)

Synonyms

• canal
• aqueduct

Examples of watercourse in a Sentence

Pesticides are sometimes responsible for contamination of watercourses.

the Erie Canal was the first watercourse to connect the Hudson River with the Great Lakes

Recent Examples on the Web

That episode led to the diversion of the Turia watercourse, which meant that a large part of the city was spared of these floods. —Teresa Medrano, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2024

The flash floods battered regions like Barrio de la Torre in Valencia, where narrow streets became lethal watercourses. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

The Marin Municipal Water District completed Kent Lake in 1954 by enlarging a section of Lagunitas Creek’s watercourse and damming the creek’s flow. —Jim Holden, The Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2024

But those boundaries had never stopped moving before or since -- sometimes for good reason, such as facilitating the movements of nomads or access to a watercourse. —Jérôme Tubiana, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2013

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for watercourse

• counterforce
• intercourse
• nonrecourse
• reinforce
• bourse
• coarse
• course
• force
• gorse
• hoarse
• horse
• norse

Kids Definition

watercourse

noun

wa·​ter·​course -ˌkō(ə)rs 

-ˌkȯ(ə)rs

1

: a channel in which water flows

2

: a stream of water (as a river or brook)