Meaning & use
Catchment
Last updated
An area of land from which rainfall drains into a river, lake, or reservoir; also, more broadly, the area or group of people served by an institution such as a school or hospital.
See it in a sentence
Heavy deforestation in the catchment has increased flooding downstream.
The new hospital serves a catchment of nearly half a million residents.
A note on using this word
Originally a hydrological term ("catchment area"), it has been extended in British English to describe the service area of schools and public institutions.
Words with a similar meaning
watersheddrainage basin
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