The design of a diode-laser sensor to monitor water vapor in high-pressure combustion gases is described. The sensor, which employs a multiple-fixed-wavelength absorption strategy, has the potential to simultaneously monitor the water mole fraction and the temperature and pressure in high-pressure and high-temperature environments. The conventional scanned-wavelength strategy, employed in previous diode-laser sensors, is shown to be ill-suited for high-pressure applications. The application of impact and additive approximations in the modeling of H(2)O absorption features at high pressures is validated experimentally for number densities as high as 18 amagats. Criteria to select optimum wavelength combinations for the fixed-wavelengths strategy are discussed. Optimum wavelength combinations that meet these criteria are identified for different temperature and pressure ranges of interest to combustion applications. The proposed sensor configuration and a strategy to obtain the baseline (zero absorption intensity) in high-pressure environments are also described. Line-shape models that are appropriate for different temperature and pressure regimes are identified.