Definition

1. Noun:
   • A critical turning point or event: A watershed is an event or period that marks a significant change in the course of history or in the development of something.
   • A drainage basin: A watershed is the entire geographical area of land from which all water runoff drains into a specific river, lake, or other body of water.
   • A dividing ridge: A watershed is a line of high ground, such as a hill or mountain range, that separates different drainage basins.

Examples

• Noun (Turning Point):
  • The invention of the internet was a watershed in global communication.
  • The court's ruling is considered a legal watershed.
• Noun (Drainage Basin):
  • Conservation efforts focus on protecting the entire river watershed.
  • Pollution in one part of the watershed can affect water quality miles downstream.
• Noun (Dividing Ridge):
  • The mountain range acts as a watershed, sending rainfall to opposite sides of the continent.

Advanced Usage

• "Watershed moment": This common phrase emphasizes an event of critical importance that changes the direction of history or a situation.
  • The ceasefire was a watershed moment for the peace process.
• Used metaphorically to describe a boundary or dividing line between different phases, ideas, or eras.
  • The scandal marked a watershed between the old political culture and the new.

Variants and Related Words

• Drainage basin (n): A synonym for the geographical meaning of watershed.
• Catchment area (n): Another term for a drainage basin or watershed.
• Divide (n): A synonym for the ridge that separates watersheds.
• Turning point (n): A synonym for the figurative meaning of a critical event.

Synonyms

• Turning point: A time when a decisive change occurs.
• Landmark: An event marking an important stage of development.
• Basin: A geographical area drained by a river.
• Parting of the ways: A point of divergence or decision.

Related Phrases

• "Cross a watershed": To pass a point of no return or to enter a new and irreversible phase.
  • With that decision, the company crossed a watershed and could not go back to its old ways.

Related Idioms

• "A watershed event": An idiom directly using the word to describe a pivotal occurrence.
  • The election was a watershed event that reshaped the nation's politics.

Noun

1. an event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend
   • the agreement was a watershed in the history of both nations
2. the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; an area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet
   • flood control in the Missouri basin
3. a ridge of land that separates two adjacent river systems