gate

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈgāt 

1

: an opening in a wall or fence

2

: a city or castle entrance often with defensive structures (such as towers)

3

a

: the frame or door that closes a gate

b

: a movable barrier (as at a grade crossing)

4

a

: a means of entrance or exit

b

: starting gate

c

: an area (as at a railroad station or an airport) for departure or arrival

d

: a space between two markers through which a competitor must pass in the course of a slalom race

5

a

: a door, valve, or other device for controlling the passage especially of a fluid

b(1)

: an electronic switch that allows or prevents the flow of current in a circuit compare base entry 1, drain entry 2, source entry 1

(2)

: an electrode in a field-effect transistor that modulates the current flowing through the transistor according to the voltage applied to the electrode compare drain, source

c

: a device (as in a computer) that outputs a signal when specified input conditions are met

logic gate

d

: a molecule or part of a molecule that acts (as by a change in conformation) in response to a stimulus to permit or block passage (as of ions) through a cell membrane

6

slang : dismissal

—used in the phrases get the gate and give one the gate

If he does get the gate, expect him to have another job in the league by lunchtime.

—Bill Williamson

The boss gave him the gate after one too many unexcused absences.

7

: the total admission receipts or the number of spectators (as at a sports event)

gate

2 of 4

verb

gated; gating

transitive verb

1

British : to confine to a campus or dormitory

2

: to supply with a gate

3

: to control with a gate

gate

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

archaic : way, path

2

dialect : method, style

-gate

4 of 4

noun combining form

ˌgāt

: usually political scandal often involving the concealment of wrongdoing

Irangate

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• door
• hatch
• portal

Examples of gate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The club, like the teams and venues before it, seems to be reacting what is happening outside its gates, and trying to bring it inside. —Kevin Draper Doug Mills, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024

Some early signs should be very encouraging out of the gate, though. —Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024

The castle is distinguished by its separate gate and two 27-foot-tall entrance towers at the foot of the estate. —Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024

In competition, judges make the call on whether an athlete touches a gate (a two-second penalty) or misses one (a 50-second penalty). —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2024

Two days later, police in Oakley allegedly interrupted a group attempting to break through the front gate of a Payless Tobacco store, chased them onto Highway 4 and disabled their Dodge Charger with spike strips. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 plane that has been en route to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, was towed to the gate, per the statement. —Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which had been scheduled to fly from Denver to Houston, landed safely back at Denver International Airport just after 8:00 a.m. and was towed to the gate, according to the airport and airline. —Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2024

That was, however, the last time UConn felt much pressure against the Illini, scoring five unanswered to close the first and exploding out of the gate in the second half, scoring 25 more unanswered to close the door on Illinois and clinch its spot in tonight’s Final Four. —NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024

Verb

Likewise, the speed at which a training cluster can save and restore checkpoint data can also gate the system's overall performance. —Steve McDowell, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Buckner argues the 2016 decision to gate Loggers Trail was a joint one to stop trespassers from entering her property. —Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024

The gardens feature mostly native and drought-tolerant plantings, ideal for the often arid Southern California climate, and naturally the entire property is walled and gated for privacy and security. —James McClain, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024

Also, the courts will be gated and locked after hours to prevent anyone from playing between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2024

Widebody gates, as the name implies, require more room, and those tend to be further out or at the ends of the concourses because there’s more space for those larger aircraft, Cornelius explained. —Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024

While the house itself is not gated, the property lies within a 24/7 guarded community with frequent patrols and a plethora of security cameras. —James McClain, Robb Report, 31 Jan. 2024

Perhaps Pitchfork matters today because its arc parallels that of the internet itself, from nerdy and amateurish to grown-up, worldly, and inclusive, to now gated off in a Babel of AI-age confusion. —Marc Hogan, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2024

Walled and gated, the impressive estate lies high in the foothills above downtown Montecito, at the very end of a quiet and secluded cul-de-sac. —James McClain, Robb Report, 12 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English geat; akin to Old Norse gat opening

Noun (2)

Middle English, borrowed from Old Norse gata, going back to North and West Germanic *gatōn- (whence also Middle Low German gate "lane, street," Old High German gazza), East Germanic *gatwōn- (whence Gothic gatwo "street"), etymon of uncertain origin

Noun combining form

Watergate

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gate

• gate-crasher
• get the gate
• lych-gate
• give one the gate
• water gate
• starting gate
• lich-gate

Kids Definition

gate

noun

ˈgāt

1

: an opening in a wall or fence

2

: a city or castle entrance often with defensive structures

3

: the frame or door that closes a gate

4

: a means of entrance or exit

5

: a door, valve, or other device for controlling the passage of fluid

6

: the total admission receipts or the number of spectators especially at a sports event

Medical Definition

gate

1 of 2 noun

ˈgāt 

: a molecule or part of a molecule (as an amino acid sequence in a protein) that acts (as by a change in conformation) in response to a stimulus to permit or block passage through a cell membrane

gate

2 of 2 transitive verb

gated; gating

: to control passage through a cell membrane by way of (a specific channel) by supplying a specific stimulus

a transmembrane ion channel gated by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine

see ligand-gated, voltage-gated