floodgate

[ fluhd-geyt ]

noun
  1. Civil Engineering. a gate designed to regulate the flow of water.

  2. anything serving to control the indiscriminate flow or passage of something.

Origin of floodgate

1
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at flood, gate1

Words Nearby floodgate

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How to use floodgate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for floodgate

floodgate

/ (ˈflʌdˌɡeɪt) /


noun
  1. Also called: head gate, water gate a gate in a sluice that is used to control the flow of water: See also sluicegate

  2. (often plural) a control or barrier against an outpouring or flow: to open the floodgates to immigration

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