# floodgate

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈflʌdˌɡeɪt/ · frequency rank #94,868

## Definitions
1. An adjustable gate or valve used to control the flow of water through a sluice.
2. Anything that controls or limits an outpouring of people, emotion, etc.
3. A stream that passes through a floodgate; a torrent.

## Etymology
From Middle English flodegate, flodgate, flodeyate, floodȝate, flodȝete, equivalent to flood + gate.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/floodgate