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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His vision of Southern America, blasted by crime, poverty and inequality, has put him on Barack Obama’s annual reading list and at the pinnacle of contemporary Southern noir.—
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
7 Jan. 2025
-
Wimbledon, which has always been the pinnacle of tennis, is lagging behind in that respect.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
In an interview with Elle, Taylor shared her go-to dinner party recipes, and Nigella Lawson's Mughlai Chicken was at the top of her list.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Jan. 2025
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At the top of this season, those missions are done.—
Megan Vick,
Variety,
11 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The best way to hold monoculars steady is to use two hands – one in front of the other – and use gravity when observing something at the zenith, allowing your eye socket to gently support their weight.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
9 Jan. 2025
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In 1980, Spacek reached a career zenith with her Oscar-winning performance as the legendary Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes,
25 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The building code has gradually acknowledged its existence but still limits its height to 85 feet (about eight stories).—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
8 Jan. 2025
-
When combined with cloud ERP, business AI can bring decision-making, process optimization, and customer experiences to new heights.—
Peter Pluim,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The 2 back-to-back January actions are the culmination of Biden Administration antitrust enforcement efforts to place far greater emphasis on potential harm to labor interests, in addition to the traditional antitrust concern with promoting consumer welfare.—
Alden Abbott,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
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The video was inspired by the Resurrection City encampment that was the culmination of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign and held on the National Mall that is steps away from the museum.—
Roger Catlin,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Those turns on the throne have not been in a row, but rather spread across a number of years, as the smash surges back to the peak every holiday season.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
-
At the peak of the polio wave in the United States, in 1952, the disease sickened nearly 60,000 people, leaving more than 21,000 paralyzed and killing more than 3,000.—
Sheryl Gay Stolberg,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
If that moment, following a victory over the Green Bay Packers, was the apex of his season, Monday night’s performance was the bottom.—
Alec Lewis,
The Athletic,
14 Jan. 2025
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Mark King, reached the apex of their popularity with this album, which was a commercial smash in their native country.—
David Chiu,
Forbes,
9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near high-water mark
Cite this Entry
“High-water mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-water%20mark. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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