watershed 1 of 2

noun

ˈwȯ-tər-ˌshed How to pronounce watershed (audio)
Definition of watershednext
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

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watershed

2 of 2

adjective

as in pivotal

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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
Noun
About 4 million acres in California are affected, including watersheds of the American, Rubicon and Yuba rivers. — Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Take, for example, the watershed that runs down Clear Creek Canyon below Lookout Mountain, Mount Vernon and Rainbow Hill. — Megan Schrader, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Regulators and online safety advocates called it a watershed moment, and both Meta and state attorneys general called on TikTok and YouTube to make similar changes. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 For a deeper look at the landscape, the Dewey Short Visitor Center pairs lake and dam views with engaging exhibits on the watershed and local habitats. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for watershed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watershed
  1. milestone
  2. pivotal
  3. climax
  4. epochal
  5. landmark
  6. decisive
  7. payoff
  8. momentous
Noun
  • Though the dinner gala is toasting a milestone anniversary of 50 years, the clinic itself celebrates 60 years of service in Los Angeles.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s series is co-produced with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in partnership with APTN and represented a key milestone for Netflix in Canada, being its first original.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of milestone
Adjective
  • Its produce is pivotal in curbing supply-side inflation domestically, and the country ranks among the top global exporters of rice and sugar.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • There’s the recurring omission of pivotal moments — in the last two weeks alone, Mae’s death happens offscreen, as does everyone finding out about it — which is less vexing with tough scenes than joyous ones.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pivotal
Noun
  • Jo and Raissa play this conflict out on screen in a story that balances action and adventure with an emotional climax that left me in tears.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The climax of the book is the fight over who would run the private company.
    — Lane Brown, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of climax
Adjective
  • Adjust to their method, and the minor shifts in texture or rhythm start to feel epochal.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Carol Kaye Carol Kaye could be on this list just on the strength of her work on the Beach Boys’ epochal 1966 album Pet Sounds.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of epochal
Noun
  • The park's significance was formally recognized in 2000 when the city designated it as a historic landmark.
    — Alexis Guerrero, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • His vision for the 1920s landmark includes art galleries, fashion showrooms and event space.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of landmark
Adjective
  • Lukas Dostal made 12 saves, stopping just six of 11 shots in the decisive middle period before being replaced to start the third.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Public confidence will play a decisive role in the growth of fusion power.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of decisive
Adjective
  • There’s little sense of forward motion in these tracks, but even when simply drifting in place, the blend of atmosphere and physicality—sunset glow meets seismic throb—is payoff enough.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Not wrong for much of the last three decades — but Saturday night’s gig, and all the joyous revelry surrounding it, showed why the Live ’25 Tour has been payoff enough for none of them to look back in anger at any of it.
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 17 Aug. 2025
Definition of payoff
Adjective
  • To have measles spreading so aggressively again now, a quarter century after this momentous occasion, is not some unfortunate but unavoidable expression of nature, like an earthquake.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • That’s part of it, that that can happen, and people are showing their affection for the song to do something so momentous as that.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of momentous

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waters down
watershed
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Cite this Entry

“Watershed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watershed. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about watershed

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