headwater

noun

head·​wa·​ter ˈhed-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: the source of a stream

—usually used in plural

Synonyms

• head
• headstream
• source

Examples of headwater in a Sentence

the first exploration of the Missouri River from its mouth to its headwaters was made by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the early 1800s

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead of reducing releases from the big reservoirs that the Lower Basin uses, the Upper Basin has to cut back according to what’s flowing down headwater streams. —Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024

Hard-rock mining has contaminated at least 40 percent of headwaters in the western U.S.. —Ashley C. Nunes, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2024

Helping headwaters:Conservation agreement will protect Upper Verde River, grasslands and a historic ranch Thanks for reading and for subscribing to AZ Climate, the Arizona Republic's weekly environment newsletter. —Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 2 Dec. 2024

What happens upriver in the Upper Klamath Lake, which is considered the headwaters of the Klamath, all the way down to the Pacific Ocean, everything effects everything else. —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

headwater

noun

head·​wa·​ter -ˌwȯt-ər 

-ˌwät-

: the beginning and upper part of a stream

—usually used in plural