as in tributary
the beginning part of a stream
the first exploration of the Missouri River from its mouth to its headwaters was made by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the early 1800s
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Recent Examples of headwaters
Already primed for catastrophe, townspeople’s discovery that developers had quietly targeted Acton for multiple battery projects stoked fears of industrial blight, fire and contamination of residential water wells and the nearby headwaters of Southern California’s last free-flowing river.
—
Bloomberg, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
That’s less than half the typical spring flows during planting season, due to the low snowpack in the mountains west of Leadville above the headwaters of the Arkansas River.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
That’s the headwaters of the swamp.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Now, Hall and Hall is marketing the 1,500-acre Spring Creek Ranch, a marquee holding at the headwaters of the renowned Fall River.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
The stream flows north 17 miles from its headwaters just south of Ray Lake Forest Preserve, near Wauconda, through Long Lake and then into Fox Lake.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
The headwaters of the Colorado River are among the nation's driest places.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
The report’s map showed the browns and yellows of persisting and developing drought across the entire Upper Colorado River Basin except in the Green River headwaters of Wyoming.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 20 Mar. 2026
The northernmost headwaters of the Florida Everglades, Shingle Creek flows from the city into nearby Lake Tohopekaliga, eventually reaching the Everglades.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2026
Bloomberg, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
That’s less than half the typical spring flows during planting season, due to the low snowpack in the mountains west of Leadville above the headwaters of the Arkansas River.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
That’s the headwaters of the swamp.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Now, Hall and Hall is marketing the 1,500-acre Spring Creek Ranch, a marquee holding at the headwaters of the renowned Fall River.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
The stream flows north 17 miles from its headwaters just south of Ray Lake Forest Preserve, near Wauconda, through Long Lake and then into Fox Lake.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
The headwaters of the Colorado River are among the nation's driest places.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
The report’s map showed the browns and yellows of persisting and developing drought across the entire Upper Colorado River Basin except in the Green River headwaters of Wyoming.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 20 Mar. 2026
The northernmost headwaters of the Florida Everglades, Shingle Creek flows from the city into nearby Lake Tohopekaliga, eventually reaching the Everglades.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwaters
Noun
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Recent water, fish and sediment samples from Mekong tributaries had high levels of dangerous heavy metals, such as arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium, from rare earth mining, said Warakorn Maneechuket, a researcher at Thailand’s Naresuan University.—
Anton L. Delgado,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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Explore the Paraná’s tributaries in the hotel’s launch.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bo Erickson | Reuters A source who was attending the event, and was briefed by Secret Service after the shooting, told CNBC’s Eamon Javers that a man with a shotgun had approached metal detectors and was shot by Secret Service agents.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
26 Apr. 2026
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David Rubenstein, principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles, was also among the guests, sources told Candy Woodall of Spotlight on Maryland.—
Bridget Byrne,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headwaters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwaters. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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