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

The Justice Department’s order to drop the corruption charges against Adams, as well as the administration’s other unprecedented moves threatens open the floodgates to a surge of corruption, former prosecutors and watchdog groups said. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2025

But will its Grammy success open the floodgates for more veteran artists to do the impossible — access and alter old recordings so that the past is never truly put to rest? —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025

One worrisome possibility is that the change could open the floodgates to more climate misinformation on Meta’s apps, including misleading or out-of-context claims during disasters. —Jill Hopke, The Conversation, 17 Jan. 2025

There, Chuck demonstrates the key's power by hacking into the Thames Barrier to open the floodgates. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 22 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for open the floodgates

• macroinvertebrates
• abates
• annates
• awaits
• birthrates
• bookplates
• borates
• bovates
• breastplates
• casemates
• chromates
• classmates