Look up: floodgate

1. floodgate
   noun something that restrains a flood or outpouring; `suspension of surveillance opened the floodgates to illegal immigrants`
   Found on http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/web
   
   
2. floodgate
   gate for shutting out or releasing the flow of water over spillways, in connection with the operation of a dam. Vertical lift, or radial, gates rise ... [2 related articles]
   Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/f/38
   
   
3. Floodgate
   floodgates created to protect from typhoon surges `Floodgates` are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and canals, or they may be designe...
   Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floodgate
   
   
4. Floodgate
   (novel) `Floodgate` is a novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean, first published in 1983. It is a rare example of inter-novel continuity in MacLean`s writing, as one of the characters in his previous novel Puppet on a Chain makes a re-appearance. Plot introduction: An Irish t...
   Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floodgate