starting gate
noun
1
: a mechanically operated barrier used as a starting device for a race
2
: a barrier that when knocked aside by a competitor (such as a skier) starts an electronic timing device
Examples of starting gate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The grade 2 Fleur De Lis goes off as race 7 and offers an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff starting gates on November 1.
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Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
The three-year-old boy was rushed to the Upper River Valley Hospital in nearby Waterville, after it was confirmed that he had been struck by a starting gate as it was being towed to the venue’s grandstand by a pickup truck, CBC News and CTV News reported.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 20 June 2025
What started as a five-horse race became four when Concrete Glory was slow to get going out of the No. 5 starting gate and didn’t finish.
—Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
Horses line up at a 65-foot starting gate that stretches across the track.
—Javier Zarracina, USA Today, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for starting gate
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Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
The three-year-old boy was rushed to the Upper River Valley Hospital in nearby Waterville, after it was confirmed that he had been struck by a starting gate as it was being towed to the venue’s grandstand by a pickup truck, CBC News and CTV News reported.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 20 June 2025
What started as a five-horse race became four when Concrete Glory was slow to get going out of the No. 5 starting gate and didn’t finish.
—Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
Horses line up at a 65-foot starting gate that stretches across the track.
—Javier Zarracina, USA Today, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for starting gate
Cite this Entry
“Starting gate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starting%20gate. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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