open the floodgates
idiom
: to remove something serving to restrain an outburst
Many people fear that the court's latest ruling will open the floodgates for/to a host of new lawsuits.
Examples of open the floodgates in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Does this open the floodgates for more crypto ETFs?
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Bob Pisani, CNBC, 23 July 2024
That’s because temperature isn’t the only sweat trigger; the stress hormone adrenaline can also open the floodgates.
—Sarah Everts, TIME, 16 July 2024
Ukrainian officials may hope that Washington will open the floodgates, alleviating their material constraints.
—Keith L. Carter, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2024
Co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller said the hope is that that hit will open the floodgates for Hays to burst out of his slump.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 15 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for open the floodgates 
Bob Pisani, CNBC, 23 July 2024
That’s because temperature isn’t the only sweat trigger; the stress hormone adrenaline can also open the floodgates.
—Sarah Everts, TIME, 16 July 2024
Ukrainian officials may hope that Washington will open the floodgates, alleviating their material constraints.
—Keith L. Carter, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2024
Co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller said the hope is that that hit will open the floodgates for Hays to burst out of his slump.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 15 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for open the floodgates
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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“Open the floodgates.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20the%20floodgates. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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