as in pinnacle
the highest part or point
he hit the high-water mark of his acting career when he played Tiny Tim in a school play
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Recent Examples of high-water mark
The Weeknd reached a new high-water mark on Spotify this week.
—
Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2023
How San Francisco settles the debate could reverberate throughout the reparations movement, setting a high-water mark for an effort that has been criticized for, so far, producing small sums.
—Emmanuel Felton, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023
This year’s crop of competitors is a far cry from recent years when the starting roster has approached triple digits, hitting a high-water mark of 96 mushers in 2008 (though a more modest number, 78, crossed the finish line).
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Feb. 2023
In Paso Robles, dozens of makeshift encampments sprang up along roadways, above the Salinas’ high-water mark.
—Jeremy Miller, WIRED, 18 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for high-water mark
Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2023
How San Francisco settles the debate could reverberate throughout the reparations movement, setting a high-water mark for an effort that has been criticized for, so far, producing small sums.
—Emmanuel Felton, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023
This year’s crop of competitors is a far cry from recent years when the starting roster has approached triple digits, hitting a high-water mark of 96 mushers in 2008 (though a more modest number, 78, crossed the finish line).
—Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Feb. 2023
In Paso Robles, dozens of makeshift encampments sprang up along roadways, above the Salinas’ high-water mark.
—Jeremy Miller, WIRED, 18 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for high-water mark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-water mark
Noun
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What does is that someone like Brind’Amour, who helped lift a struggling team up to the pinnacle of the sport — twice now — enters the Hall, where the sport’s greatest stories belong.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Under his leadership, the bank was cleared of more than a dozen regulatory actions, with the asset cap removal the pinnacle.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
On top of that, Folarin Balogun, 24, became the first American player since 1930 to score multiple goals in a World Cup match.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
-
How Blue Light Blocking Contact Lenses Work Blue light filtering contacts use specialized materials built into the lens itself, not a coating added on top.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
George Clinton took it to its zenith.—
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson,
VIBE.com,
7 June 2026
-
Now, imagine if those teams outside the top 14 still had a shot at the CFP just as the season reaches its zenith.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Swells on Tuesday led to beach hazard warnings across Southern California, along with high wave heights and rip currents, the National Weather Service warned.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
Barry had been appointed in April 2020, at the height of pandemic uncertainty, when stay-at-home orders made foot traffic to brick-and-mortar retailers like Best Buy nearly impossible.—
Liz Elting,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
In a way, the character is the culmination of four decades of Root observation.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
-
The gala for the James Beard Award — essentially the Oscars of the restaurant industry — was held in Chicago on the evening of June 15, the culmination of a months-long season that started with six KC-area restaurants, chefs, bars and bartenders as 2026 semifinalists.—
Katelyn Umholtz,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2026
-
The 1968 lineup was incredibly top-heavy with peak Carl Yastrzemski and a 35-homer season by Ken Harrelson, and the 2014 club featured David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and rookie Mookie Betts, even though many of the heroes of the 2013 World Series team wound up taking big steps back.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
The violence of European colonization across the North American continent may have achieved a grisly apex at Acoma when, following a siege by Spanish conquistadors in 1595, a massacre occurred killing hundreds.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Roughly 6,000 seals live on and around the islands, providing a rich hunting ground for the apex predators.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“High-water mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-water%20mark. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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