Floodgate (Noun)
Meaning 1
Something that restrains a flood or outpouring; "suspension of surveillance opened the floodgates to illegal immigrants".
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Meaning 2
Regulator consisting of a valve or gate that controls the rate of water flow through a sluice.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The water regulator was careful not to open the floodgate too quickly, lest the rapid surge overwhelm the irrigation channels.
- When the water level behind the dam rose to a critical height, the automated floodgate slowly creaked open, allowing a controlled flow into the spillway.
- Engineers checked the structural integrity of the aging floodgate that held back the water at the confluence of the rivers.
- Activating the remote-controlled floodgate helped speed the cleanup by diverting sewage around a partially closed intake channel.
- Resident had waited with bated breath for what would happen after workers deliberately raised the central lock floodgate of the downtown docks during their initial decommissioning operations.