floodgate
noun
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Definition of floodgate
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
When running starts to feel stale, a floodgate opens to a million other complaints. — Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, "When running gets monotonous, change the scenery or the soundtrack," 21 June 2018 The 1937-era main dam with floodgates was built north of an island in the river. — Don Behm, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Estabrook Park dam floodgates fall to demolition crew," 18 Apr. 2018 Already the ruling has started opening the floodgates to deal making in the fast-changing worlds of entertainment production and distribution. — Marcy Gordon, BostonGlobe.com, "Department of Justice appeals ruling that allowed AT&T-Time Warner merger," 12 July 2018 Already the ruling has started opening the floodgates to deal making in the fast-changing worlds of entertainment production and distribution. — Marcy Gordon, chicagotribune.com, "Justice Department appealing judge's OK of AT&T-Time Warner merger," 12 July 2018 Tesla opened the floodgates last week, inviting all Model 3 reservation holders in the U.S. and Canada to configure their car and put in their order, a step that costs $2,500. — Bloomberg, latimes.com, "Musk declares Tesla 'just became a real car company.' But can it keep building Model 3 vehicles at this pace?," 2 July 2018 The floodgates to greater inflows of institutional money are wide open. — Polina Marinova, Fortune, "Why the Structure of Andreessen Horowitz’s New $300 Million Crypto Fund Matters," 26 June 2018 The new money would open the floodgates for television commercials and campaign mailers to homes leading up to the primary. — Christopher Keating, courant.com, "Republican Gubernatorial Candidates' Public Financing Delayed," 6 June 2018 Following the show, the floodgates of La Pausa opened and the audience poured into a cruising disco. — Derek Blasberg, Vanities, "Don’t Expect to See Margot Robbie on a Cruise Ship Anytime Soon," 4 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'floodgate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for floodgate
floodgate
noun
English Language Learners Definition of floodgate
: a gate for controlling the flow of water from a lake, river, reservoir, etc.
See the full definition for floodgate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
floodgate
nounLegal Definition of floodgate
: something serving to restrain an outburst (as of litigation) —usually used in pl. a decision that will open the floodgates for other claims
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