Definition

1. Noun:
   • A major watershed of a continent: Specifically, a continuous line of high ground that separates the drainage basins of a continent, determining the direction in which rivers flow. The most famous example is the Continental Divide of North America.
   • A geographical boundary: It is a natural, topographic feature, typically a mountain range, that divides a continent's river systems into those that flow toward one ocean or sea and those that flow toward another.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The Continental Divide runs along the crest of the Rocky Mountains.
  • Hikers crossed the continental divide, moving from the Atlantic watershed to the Pacific watershed.

Advanced Usage

• "the Continental Divide" (proper noun): When capitalized, it most commonly refers specifically to the Great Divide, the principal hydrological divide of North America, extending from Alaska to Mexico.
  • They followed the trail that parallels the Continental Divide for hundreds of miles.

Variants and Related Words

• Great Divide: Another name for the Continental Divide of North America.
• Drainage divide / Watershed: More general terms for any high terrain separating neighboring drainage basins.
• Continental Divide Trail: A long-distance hiking trail following the approximate path of the Continental Divide in the United States.

Synonyms

• Watershed
• Divide
• Height of land

Related Phrases

• To cross the divide: Literally, to travel over the continental divide. Figuratively, it can mean to overcome a major obstacle or transition between two states.
  • The expedition took three days to cross the divide.

Related Idioms

• "On the other side of the divide": This can refer literally to the opposite side of a continental divide. Figuratively, it describes being in a fundamentally different situation, group, or perspective.
  • Their farm is on the other side of the divide, so all their streams flow east.

Noun

1. the watershed of a continent (especially the watershed of North America formed by a series of mountain ridges extending from Alaska to Mexico)