floodgate
Americannoun
-
Civil Engineering. a gate designed to regulate the flow of water.
-
anything serving to control the indiscriminate flow or passage of something.
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
Etymology
Origin of floodgate
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.
In the thousands of messages I got from across the country, it felt as if a great floodgate of pain and family loneliness was opening.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2024
"The environment of an American child has evolved, opening up a huge floodgate of the research we need to be doing. We've overlooked a really important, dynamic component of family life."
From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024
“That has then opened up the floodgate of expectations.”
From Washington Times • Nov. 29, 2023
Thursday because of floodgate releases from the Pine Flat Dam.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2023
Kaylene might not have realized the extent of it, but it was a huge moment for Reggie, a floodgate.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
