gatekeeper

noun

gate·​keep·​er ˈgāt-ˌkē-pər 

plural gatekeepers

1

: one that tends or guards a gate

2

: someone or something that controls access

Even technologically inhibited parents should act as gatekeepers to control which software the child has in his home library.

—Stephanie Losee

State Secretary Moerdiono, whose office is adjacent to the palace, is the President's gatekeeper. He shifts through the many requests for audiences with the President.

—Margaret Scott

… more and more standalone PCs, laptops, and all types of network components are being equipped with biometric devices. These combination hardware-and-software bundles record fingerprints, faces, voices, irises, retinas, signatures, and other physical attributes and serve as gatekeepers …

—Sally Wiener Grotta

The real authority lay in the hands of a North Dakota insurance company—one of the hidden gatekeepers of American medicine who ration health care.

—Laurie McGinley

The gatekeepers were absolutely not letting anyone without a QR code in, and your QR code had to actually work or you were escorted from the line.

—Loren Grush

Synonyms of gatekeeper

• janitor
• porter

Examples of gatekeeper in a Sentence

those who are hopelessly unhip have little chance of making past the club's gatekeeper and his velvet rope

Recent Examples on the Web

The Supreme Court had agreed to consider the case last year, taking on a years-long legal battle between the major record labels and the internet provider, with the labels saying internet gatekeepers should be held responsible for their users’ infringing behaviors. —Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026

To McCarty, the texts reflected just how determined the system’s gatekeepers were to preserve the status quo, despite the new law. —Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026

Counties are gatekeepers of the process, but Section 5200 is rarely, if ever, used — despite California’s ongoing struggle to help people who refuse to engage in treatment and end up homeless, in jail or worse. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026

If a gatekeeper pushes back, stay calm and explain your purpose clearly. —Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gatekeeper

• beekeeper
• bookkeeper
• doorkeeper
• gamekeeper
• goalkeeper
• housekeeper
• innkeeper
• minesweeper
• peacekeeper
• shopkeeper
• storekeeper
• timekeeper

Kids Definition

gatekeeper

noun

gate·​keep·​er -ˌkē-pər 

1

: a person who tends or guards a gate

2

: a person who controls access

Medical Definition

gatekeeper

noun

gate·​keep·​er -ˌkē-pər 

: a health care professional (as a primary care physician) who regulates access especially to hospitals and specialists

managed care plans rely on a designated physician gatekeeper to orchestrate and control the health care of its enrollees

—E. A. Halm et al.