Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

open the floodgates

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.71 in modern English

Syllables
open the flood-gates
IPA
27
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
2
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

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

Example Sentences

Etymology

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

Inflected Forms

opens the floodgates (present, singular) opening the floodgates (participle, present) opened the floodgates (participle, past) opened the floodgates (past)

Phrases

after us the deluge flood the zone gates of hell

Frequently Paired Words

after us the deluge flood the zone gates of hell let rip

Questions

What does open the floodgates mean?
To allow some action to proceed more swiftly or to a greater extent.
Where does open the floodgates come from?
Literally, to allow floodwater that had been held back to flow freely.

How to pronounce open the floodgates

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “open the floodgates”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “open the floodgates”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “open the floodgates” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.