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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In a new lawsuit, one of the first three women to officiate an NFL game describes her three years at the pinnacle of her profession as a descent into the grip of a sexist institution unable to treat a woman as an equal.—
Larry Neumeister,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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But coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks quickly reminded TCU that there are still levels to this, and the Horned Frogs are still a tier or two away from joining South Carolina, UConn, Texas and UCLA at the pinnacle of the sport.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Giants scored a run in the bottom of the eighth on a bloop single by Arraez, but the Mets scored two runs off left-hander Erik Miller in the top of the ninth to put the game away.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
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But the moment that deeply moved his former manager came in the top of the first, as the veteran shortstop readied himself for his first at-bat at Fenway as a visiting player.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But the newspaper hit its zenith during World War II, and perhaps its most important contributor was the cartoonist Bill Mauldin.—
Bill McKibben,
The New York Review of Books,
27 Mar. 2026
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Klosterman believes right now is likely the zenith.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
An item that is adjustable will allow the user to lock in specific heights that work best for them.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
At its height, a period extending from the middle of the 16th century to the beginning of the 18th, the Mughal Empire controlled almost the entire Indian subcontinent, marshaling vast amounts of money and manpower.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The bill’s passage was the culmination of a yearslong push by Israel’s far right to escalate punishment against Palestinians convicted of attacking Israelis.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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Masao is the culmination of owner Nick Hanke's 20 years of training under a master sushi chef, chef Phil Shires' desire to end his cooking career with a bang, and a whole lot of love.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For one thing, Hatmaker came of age during what was arguably the peak of evangelicalism in the United States.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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This is because the peas are picked at peak freshness, then flash-frozen, pronto.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The quarter-ton bears, apex predators who are revered by some Native American tribes but also feared for their attacks on livestock and sometimes humans, became locally extinct in California in 1924, the same year that the last California gray wolf was captured and killed.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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The apex of their time together in space—the lunar flyby of day six—has almost arrived.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“High-water mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-water%20mark. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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