What does "floodgate" mean?
An adjustable gate or valve used to control the flow of water through a sluice.
Floodgate
/ˈflʌdˌɡeɪt/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An adjustable gate or valve used to control the flow of water through a sluice.
- Grammar: floodgate is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: aboideau, air lock, avenue, barrier.
- Useful contrasts: free flow, open channel, unblocked flow.
- Usage evidence: At the start of the Second World War floodgates would be installed at the ends of the under-Thames sections of the Bakerloo and Northern lines to save them from inundation should bombs damage the riverbed.
How to use "floodgate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "floodgate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "floodgate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "floodgate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "floodgate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "floodgate" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aboideau" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "floodgate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An adjustable gate or valve used to control the flow of water through a sluice.
"At the start of the Second World War floodgates would be installed at the ends of the under-Thames sections of the Bakerloo and Northern lines to save them from inundation should bombs damage the riverbed."
- 2 regulator consisting of a valve or gate that controls the rate of water flow through a sluice wordnet
- 3 Anything that controls or limits an outpouring of people, emotion, etc. figuratively
"“The floodgates for advertising on cable are down,” says Michael Dann, a leading consultant on cable television."
- 4 something that restrains a flood or outpouring wordnet
- 5 A stream that passes through a floodgate; a torrent. obsolete
"Out of her gored wound the cruell ſteel / He lightly ſnatcht, and did the floodgate ſtop / VVith his faire garment: then gan ſoftly feel her feeble pulſe, to proue if any drop / Of liuing blood yet in her veynes did hop"
Proper Noun
- 1 A series of allegations of corruption, mismanagement, and irregularities in flood control projects in the Philippines during and before the administration of President Bongbong Marcos. Philippine, neologism
Antonyms
free flowopen channelunblocked flowunrestricted flow
Example
"At the start of the Second World War floodgates would be installed at the ends of the under-Thames sections of the Bakerloo and Northern lines to save them from inundation should bombs damage the riverbed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "floodgate"?
Common synonyms include: aboideau, air lock, avenue, barrier, blowhole, channel.
How do you use "floodgate" in a sentence?
At the start of the Second World War floodgates would be installed at the ends of the under-Thames sections of the Bakerloo and Northern lines to save them from inundation should bombs damage the riverbed.
How do you pronounce "floodgate"?
Pronounced /ˈflʌdˌɡeɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English flodegate, flodgate, flodeyate, floodȝate, flodȝete, equivalent to flood + gate.
Etymology 2
From floodgate.