MEANING
The geographical area whose residents are served by a particular institution or facility.
Use it for
Service boundaries; school access; unequal provisionShow how an invisible service boundary affects an address.
Words that belong together
- school catchment area
- hospital catchment area
- within the catchment area
On the page
The house lay just outside the school's catchment area.
A single clinic served a catchment area of twelve scattered villages.
Changing the catchment area divided neighbors who had expected their children to study together.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- catchment area
Usage notes
Primary category: setting. Especially used for schools, hospitals, and services. The water-drainage sense is valid but belongs to environment and is not developed here. Plural: catchment areas. No other inflection applies to this noun.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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