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

Viktoria Petrányi, of production outfit Proton Cinema, notes that the a more liberal regime might open the floodgates for the many projects that were shelved during the Orbán years. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 15 May 2026

Her triple opened the floodgates. —Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026

Hilary Crowley, a county spokeswoman, said a $100 million floodgate completed in 2024 has been infested with the relentless mollusks, requiring an expensive removal. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 8 May 2026

And that’s when the floodgates open, because few texts of the past 100 years are more inextricably woven into our culture. —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 4 May 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