high water mark

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The line or level reached on a shore, riverbank or wall by water at its highest point, such as at high tide or in a flood.

   Grammar: Countable: the high water mark; marks are left on buildings after a flood.

   Patterns

   • the high water mark of something
   • above the high water mark

   Seaweed on the sand showed the high water mark of the tide.

   The flood left a high water mark on the wall of the old mill.

   Build your tent well above the high water mark.

2. 2nounsingularfigurative

   The best or greatest point that something reaches, after which it usually gets worse.

   Grammar: Usually singular and followed by of: the high water mark of his career.

   Patterns

   • the high water mark of something
   • reach a high water mark

   That victory was the high water mark of the team's season.

   The 1990s were the high water mark of the band's popularity.

   Her speech marked the high water mark of the campaign.

Word forms

Common combinations

above the high water mark

The cottages stand safely above the high water mark.

reach a high water mark

Sales reached a high water mark in 2019.

the high water mark of his career

The film was the high water mark of his career.

flood high water mark

A plaque shows the flood high water mark on the bridge.

mark the high water mark

Stones mark the high water mark of the river.

Synonyms and how they differ

peak

Peak is a simple, general word for the highest point and can be used for anything, while high water mark often hints at decline afterward.

zenith

Zenith sounds more formal and grand, suggesting the very best moment of success.

tideline

A tideline is the physical line left on a shore, and unlike high water mark it is not used figuratively.

Opposites

Word family

high tide noun

the time when the sea is at its highest

watermark noun

a faint design in paper, or a mark left by water

low water mark noun

the lowest level reached by water

Commonly confused: high water mark or watermark?

Practice

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