high water

American  

noun

1. water at its greatest elevation, as in a river.

2. high tide.

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high water British  

noun

1. another name for high tide

2. the state of any stretch of water at its highest level, as during a flood

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Etymology

Origin of high water

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

San Diego County’s water agency is selling some of its water to another Southern California agency to help limit increasingly high water costs for 3.3 million people.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

"It creates a band of access land from the trail to the high water mark, so that means you can leave the trail to go and roam the beaches," Cornish says.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

It was the high water mark of their relationship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

These contracts are signed in advance of a drought and can provide both cost savings and high water supply reliability for cities, which can use them to quickly acquire water from irrigators during dry periods.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

She would keep her coffee down come hell or high water.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee