open the floodgates

verb

To allow some action to proceed more swiftly or to a greater extent.

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Meanings

verbopen the floodgates (third-person singular simple present opens the floodgates, present participle opening the floodgates, simple past and past participle opened the floodgates)

present singular third person opens the floodgates · participle present opening the floodgates · participle past opened the floodgates · past opened the floodgates

  1. idiomaticTo allow some action to proceed more swiftly or to a greater extent.

    Where we open up the floodgates, freedom reigns supreme. Fire on the hemisphere below.

    1987 September 1, R.E.M., “Welcome to the Occupation”, in Document

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
pull out all the stops

Origin

Literally, to allow floodwater that had been held back to flow freely.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

open the floodgates. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20floodgates

MLA

“open the floodgates.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20floodgates. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “open the floodgates,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20floodgates.

Source: open the floodgates on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.