CATCHMENT AREA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does catchment area mean? 

• CATCHMENT AREA (noun)
  The noun CATCHMENT AREA has 1 sense:

1. the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; an area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet

  Familiarity information: CATCHMENT AREA used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CATCHMENT AREA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; an area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

basin; catchment area; catchment basin; drainage area; drainage basin; river basin; watershed

Context example:

flood control in the Missouri basin

Hypernyms ("catchment area" is a kind of...):

geographic area; geographic region; geographical area; geographical region (a demarcated area of the Earth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "catchment area"):

detention basin (a storage site (such as a small reservoir) that delays the flow of water downstream)

retention basin (a storage site similar to a detention basin but the water in storage is permanently obstructed from flowing downstream)

 Context examples 

The Local Protocol, Standard Cancer Center Information Summary for Cancer Center Support Grant Application, is a study conducted by the reporting Cancer Center primarily in its catchment area (including institutional trials, either exclusive to the Center or in collaboration with other Centers, industry-sponsored trials, and other externally peer-reviewed trials).

(Local Protocol Standard Cancer Center Information Summary, NCI Thesaurus)