How to Use open the floodgates in a Sentence

open the floodgates

idiom
Definition of open the floodgatesnext
  • Detractors say the law will open the floodgates to more crime.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2022
  • The goal didn’t exactly open the floodgates, but the Mustangs pushed the lead to 3-0 with two goals in the first five minutes of the second quarter.
    — Randy McRoberts, Baltimore Sun, 15 Sep. 2022
  • Once Slay is traded, that could open the floodgates on more cornerback deals.
    — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 7 Aug. 2021
  • In the short term, the move is likely to open the floodgates to far more political campaigning emails.
    — Gordon Kelly, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022
  • The next pitch was a slider that caught the middle of the plate and Fraley blasted it to the top of the 21-foot-high right-field wall for a two-run single to open the floodgates for the rest of the offense.
    — The Enquirer, 21 Aug. 2022
  • Now is the time to open the floodgates of opportunity and allow now an avalanche of justice to pour upon us.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2023
  • For Ukraine, the strike helped open the floodgates of Western weapons and deflated the specter of an invincible Russian army.
    — Peter Weber, The Week, 30 Aug. 2023
  • Her tell-all promises to open the floodgates on palace gossip and not, like, discuss a potential Suits reunion.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2021
  • KONGiQ signing 70-plus high school players to endorsement deals at one of the top programs in the country could open the floodgates to something much bigger.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2022
  • Having even a small amount of debt without the intention or ability to make payments on time can open the floodgates to taking on more.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2023
  • Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has really thrown open the floodgates now.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 9 Mar. 2021
  • Myjai Sanders highlight Cincinnati's batch of 2022 draft hopefuls, but this year's impressive group could open the floodgates for the Bearcats program for years to come.
    — Keith Jenkins, The Enquirer, 29 Apr. 2021
  • Coyle pounded, and pounded, and pounded the Warriors, finally breaking open the floodgates in the fourth quarter.
    — Akeem Glaspie, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Nov. 2022
  • Labor attorneys expect Monday's announcement by the FDA to open the floodgates for mandates across the board.
    — CBS News, 27 Aug. 2021
  • Authorities’ decision to open the floodgates to relieve pressure on the reservoirs submerged half the city.
    — Bill Spindle, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2022
  • So modifying the rules like Biden suggested may not open the floodgates like progressives are hoping for.
    — Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2021
  • And the daffodils open the floodgates for a raucous cacophony of flowering as spring truly begins.
    — Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 10 Feb. 2023
  • As Oregon prepares to open the floodgates, lessons can be learned from Washington, where all seniors age 65 and older have been eligible for vaccines since Jan. 18.
    — oregonlive, 6 Feb. 2021
  • Despite the possible benefits of a hunt, some experts are concerned the initiative could open the floodgates for more hunting in national parks around the country.
    — Editors, USA TODAY, 3 May 2021
  • Republicans contend the Equality Act would open the floodgates for transgender girls and women to play on female sports teams and hurt others' chances to compete.
    — Mary Clare Jalonick and David Crary, Star Tribune, 7 May 2021
  • Republicans contend the Equality Act would open the floodgates for transgender girls and women to play on female sports teams and hurt others’ chances to compete.
    — NBC News, 10 May 2021
  • Some are incendiary, many open the floodgates of family emotion.
    — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 11 Sep. 2021
  • On the other side of the mandamus ledger, the circuit has to be concerned that granting the writ would open the floodgates to other litigants who seek to appeal right away whenever the district judge allegedly makes an error.
    — Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 15 Aug. 2020
  • And to be fair, many of them do; not every modern mark-to-market proposal would necessarily open the floodgates entirely.
    — Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 18 July 2022
  • But several scholars and lawmakers said the museum’s stance stemmed from a greater concern: that transparency could open the floodgates for restitution claims.
    — Constant Méheut, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2022
  • Trailblazing moves by industry giants could open the floodgates for other firms, many of which have been hesitant to leave the center of the financial universe for the promise of better weather and no state income tax.
    — Jonathan Levin, Bloomberg.com, 7 Dec. 2020
  • Much of Monday's argument focused on whether the government's position would open the floodgates to federal prosecutions in these kinds of cases.
    — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 30 Nov. 2020
  • The message reflects concerns among advertisers — Twitter’s chief source of revenue — that Musk’s plans to promote free speech by cutting back on moderating content will open the floodgates to more online toxicity and drive away users.
    — Tom Krisher, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2022
  • Encryption advocates and tech companies have long contended creating a backdoor for law enforcement would also open the floodgates for bad actors to break into their systems.
    — Tonya Riley, Washington Post, 24 June 2020
  • This time, too, European officials remained more focused on the potential for economic instability in Tunisia to further open the floodgates of migration.
    — Anthony Faiola, Washington Post, 30 June 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'open the floodgates.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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