open the floodgates
open the floodgates · opens the floodgates · opened the floodgates · opening the floodgates
To allow some action to proceed more swiftly or to a greater extentTo allow some action to proceed more swiftly or to a greater extent.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To allow some action to proceed more swiftly or to a greater extent.
Origin
Literally, to allow floodwater that had been held back to flow freely.Literally, to allow floodwater that had been held back to flow freely.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
opens the floodgates, opening the floodgates, opened the floodgates, opened the floodgatesirregular
| Base form | open the floodgates · to open the floodgates |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | opens the floodgates |
| Present participle | opening the floodgates |
| Past simple | opened the floodgates |
| Past participle | opened the floodgates |
Tenses
open the floodgates · opened the floodgates · will open the floodgates · have opened the floodgatesPoint at a form to see it in a sentence.Tap a form to see it in a sentence.
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.