floodgate

American

[fluhd-geyt] / ˈflʌdˌgeɪt /

noun

Civil Engineering. a gate designed to regulate the flow of water.
anything serving to control the indiscriminate flow or passage of something.

floodgate British

/ ˈflʌdˌɡeɪt /

noun

Also called: head gate. water gate. a gate in a sluice that is used to control the flow of water See also sluicegate
(often plural) a control or barrier against an outpouring or flow

to open the floodgates to immigration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of floodgate

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; flood, gate ¹

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.

But the rise of Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services opened the floodgates by offering large libraries of songs on demand.

From Los Angeles Times

His shift opened the floodgates for an overwhelming 427-1 vote on Tuesday.

From BBC

Fear of opening up the floodgate that is my grief.

From Literature

Even as ordinary citizens fled to safety, emergency workers raced for the floodgates.

From Literature

If that was meant to open the floodgates, Ireland were sorely mistaken as Japan controlled the rest of the half.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023