high-water mark
[ hahy-waw-ter, -wot-er ]
/ ˈhaɪˈwɔ tər, -ˈwɒt ər /
noun
a mark showing the highest level reached by a body of water.
the highest point of anything; acme: Her speech was the high-water mark of the conference.
Origin of high-water mark
First recorded in 1545–55
Words nearby high-water mark
high-ticket,
high-toned,
high-top,
high-up,
high-voltage,
high-water mark,
high-wire act,
high-wrought,
highball,
highbinder,
highborn
Example sentences from the Web for high-water mark
I have before me two books which will serve to indicate the high-water-mark of Wordsworth's popularity.
Victorian Literature |Clement K. ShorterThe high-water-mark of poetry in Endymion is thus reached in the two lyrics of the first and fourth book.
Keats |Sidney Colvin
British Dictionary definitions for high-water mark
high-water mark
noun
- the level reached by sea water at high tide or by other stretches of water in flood
- the mark indicating this level
the highest point
Idioms and Phrases with high-water mark
high-water mark
The peak of something, especially an achievement. For example, This composition is the high-water mark of his entire output. This expression alludes to the highest mark left on shore by the tide. [Mid-1800s]