gatekeeper

noun

gate·​keep·​er ˈgāt-ˌkē-pər 

1

: one that tends or guards a gate

2

: a person who controls access

gatekeeping

ˈgāt-ˌkē-piŋ 

noun

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

There is a gatekeeper order so neither my ex nor I are permitted to file any more cases without prior court approval. —Wendy Hickey, Boston Herald, 21 Dec. 2025

Concern over antisemitism on the right has split the conservative world in two—and GOP gatekeepers have lost the ability to contain it. —Suzanne Schneider, The New York Review of Books, 21 Dec. 2025

Doctors have long been gatekeepers to medical technology, but now technology could serve as a gatekeeper to doctors. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025

Young filmmakers still cling to traditional distribution — festivals, theaters, gatekeepers — because of a romantic Hollywood fantasy we were all raised on. —Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025

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.