headwateradjective [ only before noun ]
/ˈhed.wɔː.tər//ˈhed.wɑː.t̬ɚ/forming or containing streams that flow into a larger river close to where it starts:
Headwater streams contain a variety of unique life forms.
the headwater tributaries of the Rio Grande
More examples
- Otters have cleaned the fish out of some headwater streams.
- Several people remembered his visit to their headwater village.
- Oil spills have dumped over one hundred thousand barrels of oil in headwater rivers.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Watercourses & waterfalls
- arroyo
- barrage
- bayou
- beck
- billabong
- brook
- burn
- creek
- downriver
- Euphrates
- flume
- ghat
- Mississippi
- R, r
- rapids
- sluice
- spate
- upriver
- watercourse
- watershed
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