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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in pivotal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of watershed
Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2025
The watersheds — four connected with the Chesapeake Bay and one that’s part of an Atlantic coastal bay — are the first chosen under the state’s Whole Watershed Act passed in 2024.
—Timothy Wheeler, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2025
The river's watershed is home to 10 reservoirs and three drinking water facilities serving more than 2 million people, American Rivers says.
—Li Cohen, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025
For decades into the 20th century, the watershed by Philadelphia was so polluted that the fish could not make the journey upstream.
—Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Noun
Workshops include learning about healthy watersheds for Long Island Sound, bringing back migratory fish populations, empowering native interests on the Connecticut River, a river steward roundtable, and learning about what the next generation of river stewardship will require.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2025
The watersheds — four connected with the Chesapeake Bay and one that’s part of an Atlantic coastal bay — are the first chosen under the state’s Whole Watershed Act passed in 2024.
—Timothy Wheeler, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2025
The river's watershed is home to 10 reservoirs and three drinking water facilities serving more than 2 million people, American Rivers says.
—Li Cohen, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025
For decades into the 20th century, the watershed by Philadelphia was so polluted that the fish could not make the journey upstream.
—Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watershed
Noun
-
No information on timing was provided but Mark Marshall, Chairman of Global Advertising and Partnerships at NBCU, recently told Deadline that the milestone will be celebrated in the fall.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
12 May 2025
-
As the 2024-25 school year winds down, with graduation set for Thursday, May 29, teachers are looking ahead to the fall to celebrate the milestone in full swing.—
Madison Beveridge,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
This is also a pivotal episode for Ellie and Dina, who get themselves into a good bit of trouble on their first day looking for Abby.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
5 May 2025
-
Owens cited those messages as evidence of a larger issue, alleging that the incident was a pivotal moment in West’s life that triggered much of his subsequent behavior.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
In Another Simple Favor climax, Charity and Linda hold a drugged Nicky at gunpoint on a cliffside, forcing a confrontation with Emily and Stephanie.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
2 May 2025
-
Arrivals like these are closer to a scenic flyover than a commercial flight, providing a glimpse—and in some cases a climax—to the beauty that’s to come.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
For decades, private individuals and groups have brought the majority of lawsuits for enforcing the landmark law's Section 2 protections against racial discrimination in the election process.—
Hansi Lo Wang,
NPR,
14 May 2025
-
Regarding Dunne’s selection, Sports Illustrated credits her landmark achievements in collegiate name, image, and likeness (NIL).—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
Pember’s journalism and advocacy, along with that of a growing number of writers and activists, both Native and not, are making clear the scope and impact of one major pillar of this epochal injustice.—
Charles Arrowsmith,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
-
What Fielder and his pilots are really rehearsing is good citizenship in the midst of an epochal emergency.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Today's ruling is another clear and decisive victory that will ensure the lives of countless unborn children remain protected and that South Carolina continues to lead the charge in defending the sanctity of life.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
-
Charlotte’s victory in the series-deciding finale improved its record to 3-4 all time in its modern history (since 1994) and was the second in three season; Charlotte won the decisive third game of a best-of-three series in 2023 over Lehigh Valley.—
Richard Walker,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Saturday Night Live is coming to the end of a rather momentous season, one which included its 50th anniversary that was as star-studded as anyone could have expected.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
7 May 2025
-
Comments On the last day of filming his final Conjuring movie, Patrick Wilson didn't have some momentous cathartic moment.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
6 May 2025
Adjective
-
The bullpen gave up the lead on the first pitch, and then three more in the deciding 10th inning.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Travis weeks earlier cited as the deciding and unprecedented factor.—
Chris Vannini,
The Athletic,
9 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Watershed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watershed. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share