open the floodgates
idiom
: to remove something serving to restrain an outburst
Many people fear that the court's latest ruling will open the floodgates for/to a host of new lawsuits.
Examples of open the floodgates in a Sentence
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But Yearwood said overruling the jury’s decision would open the floodgates for other felons and threaten the integrity of other lawful convictions.
—
Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 12 May 2025
That would open the floodgates to religious charter schools in forty-seven states whose laws now prohibit them, with the inevitable accompaniment of hard questions.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Despite sympathy for the plaintiffs, many of the justices appeared wary of a broad ruling that might open the floodgates to litigation against the government.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2025
This orchestrated assault on the CFPB represents not just a bureaucratic shake-up but a direct attack on consumer protections, one that will disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, erode public trust, and open the floodgates for unchecked financial misconduct.
—Lenwood V. Long, Sr., Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
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Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 12 May 2025
That would open the floodgates to religious charter schools in forty-seven states whose laws now prohibit them, with the inevitable accompaniment of hard questions.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Despite sympathy for the plaintiffs, many of the justices appeared wary of a broad ruling that might open the floodgates to litigation against the government.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2025
This orchestrated assault on the CFPB represents not just a bureaucratic shake-up but a direct attack on consumer protections, one that will disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, erode public trust, and open the floodgates for unchecked financial misconduct.
—Lenwood V. Long, Sr., Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open the floodgates
Cite this Entry
“Open the floodgates.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20the%20floodgates. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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