catchment area

catchment area (plural catchment areas)

1. (hydrology) An area from which water drains into a particular lake, river, etc.; the catchment area of a large river includes its tributaries.

   Synonyms: catchment basin, drainage basin

2. (by extension) The area served by a local institution, such as a hospital or school, or by extension, a railway station.
   • 2019 October, “Funding for 20tph East London Line service”, in Modern Railways, page 18:

     As well as the new station, the funding will allow the building of the Chelmsford North East bypass, enhancing access to and the catchment area of the station.

   • 2023 October 14, Alexandra Goss, “The school run”, in FT Weekend, House & Home, page 1:

     Wealthy parents buying into preferred catchment areas is nothing new and for years families have been moving to Kent for the grammar schools.

• Colin McIntosh, editor (2013), “catchment area”, in Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 4th edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, retrieved 1 March 2017, reproduced in the Cambridge English Dictionary website, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• “catchment area”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

• catchment area on Wikipedia.Wikipedia