floodgates
Water control barriers
Floodgates are gates controlling water flow from a reservoir, dam, or canal—opened to release excess water, closed to hold it back.
The figurative sense dominates modern usage: to open the floodgates is to remove barriers that were holding something back, typically unleashing an overwhelming quantity: The ruling opened the floodgates to lawsuits.
Violent rushing flow
- delugeSevere overflow of water
- outpourSudden copious flow
- unleashTo release from restraint
- surgeSudden powerful increase
gush · cascade · overflow · discharge · outflow · rush · burst · vent
torrent
Violent rushing flow
surge · gush · cascade · overflow · discharge · outflow · rush · burst · vent · eruption
dam
Water-holding barrier
lock · weir · embankment · spillway · barrage · bulkhead · sea wall · canal · reservoir · water control
unleash
To release from restraint
precedent · avalanche · onslaught · barrage · torrent · wave · overwhelm · cascade · domino effect · watershed
- water gatesheadgates
- fluid systemspumps, valves, pipes, hydraulic systems, fluid flow
- Water Engineeringdams, levees, canals, aqueducts, spillways
- flood controllevee, levees, dike, dikes, dykes
- Dutch-Belgian InfrastructureSchiphol, canals, waterways, dikes, levees
- Hwaseong Fortressfortress walls, bastions, guard towers, watchtowers, command post
floodgatesdam
Water-holding barrier
barrier · blockage · obstruction · levee · dike
floodgatesdam
Water-holding barrier
bottleneck · stranglehold · chokepoint · restraint · suppression
- open the floodgatesRemove barriers to overwhelming flow
- opening the floodgatesAllowing unrestricted outpouring
- opened the floodgatesRemoved all restraint
- open floodgates