high water

See also: highwater and high-water

English

Noun

high water (countable and uncountable, plural high waters)

1. (uncountable) The location of high tide on a coastal area.
   • 1941 January, the late John Phillimore, “The Forth Bridge 1890-1940”, in Railway Magazine, page 5:

     So as not to impede navigation the two principal spans of the bridge were designed to provide a clear headway of 157 ft. above high water for a distance of 500 ft.; [...].

2. The state of the tide when the water is at its highest.
   • 1952 September, “Chepstow River Bridge Centenary”, in Railway Magazine, page 623:

     One of the requirements of the design was the provision of a clear headway of 50 ft. at high water for shipping.

3. (countable) The highest stage of a river.

Antonyms

• low water

Derived terms

• high-water mark

References

• “high water”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.