Meaning & use
floodgate
Last updated
A gate that can be opened or closed to control the flow of water.
See it in a sentence
Engineers opened the floodgate to relieve pressure on the dam after heavy rain.
The announcement seemed to open the floodgates for other companies to make similar changes.
A note on using this word
Floodgate is most often used figuratively in the phrase 'open the floodgates,' meaning to release a sudden, overwhelming rush of something, such as complaints or applications.
Words with a similar meaning
sluice
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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