floodgate

noun

flood·​gate ˈfləd-ˌgāt 

1

: a gate for shutting out, admitting, or releasing a body of water : sluice

2

: something serving to restrain an outburst

opened the floodgates of criticism

Examples of floodgate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That vision confirmed that 1969 was feasible, which opened the funding floodgates and kicked off the planning process, and the rest is history. — Alex Pavlak, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2026

In Laguna Beach, businesses in flood-prone areas such as downtown use floodgates in front of their doors during high tides and storms to keep water out. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

But for the third and final season in 2023, the show’s creative team decided to open up the floodgates of nostalgia by inviting back the entire cast of The Next Generation for one final space adventure. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026

In 2016, the floodgates opened when performance rights were granted to regional theaters. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English flodgate

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for floodgate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

floodgate

noun

flood·​gate ˈfləd-ˌgāt 

: a gate (as in a canal) for controlling a body of water : sluice

Legal Definition

floodgate

noun

flood·​gate

: something serving to restrain an outburst (as of litigation)

—usually used in pl.

a decision that will open the floodgates for other claims