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

Some parishes, including St. Mary and Terrebonne, started to close off floodgates and distribute sand bags Monday. —Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 10 Sep. 2024

But the floodgates opened this year, when the league office increased the number of foreign players allowed on each team’s 30-player roster from seven to 20. —Rustin Dodd, The Athletic, 26 Aug. 2024

As far as the floodgates that Welcome Mat opened up as far as human me, girl me, is different now. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2024

The war in Ukraine cannot end on Kyiv’s terms if Russia remains an open floodgate for Chinese supplies, and Europe cannot remain prosperous if China has almost free rein to hollow out Europe’s industrial economy. —Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English flodgate

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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