Meaning & use
opening floodgates
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Meaning
phraseidiomfigurative
allowing a sudden, large number of things to happen or be expressed after a period of control or silence
Grammar: Often used as "open the floodgates" or "opening the floodgates"; usually followed by "to" or "for".
Patterns
- opening the floodgates to something
- opening the floodgates for someone
The court's decision opened the floodgates to similar lawsuits across the country.
When the company allowed employees to work from home, it opened the floodgates for requests for other flexible arrangements.
The new policy is opening the floodgates to criticism from environmental groups.
Common combinations
- open the floodgates
- The ruling could open the floodgates for thousands of claims.
- opening the floodgates to
- The minister's speech is opening the floodgates to angry responses.
- floodgates of emotion
- After years of silence, the floodgates of emotion finally opened.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unleash
- Unleash means to suddenly release something powerful; it is a verb and does not carry the image of gates holding back water.
Opposites
Commonly confused: opening floodgates or floodgate?
opening floodgates vs floodgate
A floodgate is the literal gate that controls water; the idiom uses the plural floodgates figuratively.
Practice
The new law is expected to ______ the floodgates to complaints from small businesses.
Choose one answer.
After "to" (infinitive marker), the base form "open" is correct. "Opening" would need a helping verb like "is"; "opens" and "opened" are finite forms that do not fit after "to".
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “opening floodgates”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.