floodgate
Americannoun
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Civil Engineering. a gate designed to regulate the flow of water.
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anything serving to control the indiscriminate flow or passage of something.
noun
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Also called: head gate. water gate. a gate in a sluice that is used to control the flow of water See also sluicegate
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(often plural) a control or barrier against an outpouring or flow
to open the floodgates to immigration
Etymology
Origin of floodgate
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at flood, gate 1
Explanation
The gates used to control the flow of water over a levee or in a reservoir is called a floodgate. Some floodgates protect areas that are vulnerable to hurricanes or typhoons. There are many kinds of floodgates, all designed to hold water back sometimes and to let it flow at others. A figurative floodgate holds back strong emotion or something equally powerful. You'll most often find this floodgate in the phrase, "Open the floodgates." For example, a school principal might worry that allowing one student to bring his pet rabbit to class will open the floodgates for everyone bringing animals to school.
Vocabulary lists containing floodgate
Free Lunch
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A Mango-Shaped Space
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Wink
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That means the deal, expected to be signed on Friday, would be a release valve, not a floodgate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
"The anticipated floodgate of claims has commenced, and Fifa's finances could take a huge hit at a time they are flying high after the expanded Club World Cup this year and World Cup in 2026."
From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025
Opening the doors to everyone has changed the game, because it’s just opened a floodgate of community and networks that we are able to build on at the showroom.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2024
Reporting Scope 3 emissions also opens a floodgate of legal issues, as many smaller organizations in a large company’s value chain might have no legal obligation to disclose their own emissions.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2024
Then, like a floodgate opening up, words spilled out of me.
From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
