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 in the past 18 months, permissive NCAA eligibility rulings, opportunistic agents and rising pools of name, image and likeness money have combined to open the floodgates. Cj Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025 Lake Buchanan reached full capacity this week, prompting Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) officials to open the floodgates at Buchanan Dam for the first time since 2019 to release water from the reservoir. Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025 The court's decision in the campaign finance dispute could open the floodgates for coordinated spending into the 2026 midterms elections. Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 30 June 2025 The Supreme Court decision is expected to open the floodgates for many individual claims to be brought before lower courts over third-country deportation orders. Chad De Guzman, Time, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for open the floodgates

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“Open the floodgates.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20the%20floodgates. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

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