floodgates

noun

plural of floodgate
as in sluices

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for floodgates
  1. barriers
  2. barricades
Noun
  • Long-standing problems and new barriers are combining to make a career in dietetics less appealing and less financially feasible, just as the nation is increasing its appetite for nutrition in health care.
    — Lauren Chan, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Both mainly reduced trade barriers and committed all three governments to avoid policies that inhibited commercial flows with one another.
    — Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of barriers
Noun
  • Farmers blocked the highways leading into the city while demonstrators erected barricades throughout Cochabamba, occupied the central plaza, and halted transportation and commerce.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Officers pointed guns, sirens were sounded, and barricades went up at the gate entrance, KEYT reported.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of barricades
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

floodgate
floodgates
flooding
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Cite this Entry

“Floodgates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floodgates. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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