as in janitor
a person who tends a door those who are hopelessly unhip have little chance of making past the club's gatekeeper and his velvet rope

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gatekeeper Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. Hollie Silverman suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025 For Chicago and spanning to borders far beyond, there was media personality Gary Deeb as the caustic gatekeeper of all things TV, radio and media reporting about what and who to watch and when and where to listen. Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025 Despite their growing success, the Bananas’ brand of baseball remains polarizing — an easy target for detractors of zaniness, gatekeepers of fun and opponents of pizzazz who either don’t understand it or refuse to see its appeal. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2025 Annie Tomasini – As Oval Office operations director, Tomasini was among Biden’s closest aides and gatekeepers. Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for gatekeeper
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gatekeeper
Noun
  • Over a decades-long tenure at SEIU, Huerta oversaw organizing campaigns involving thousands of janitors and other service workers.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 10 June 2025
  • At 55, Goodall worked as a middle school janitor in Terre Haute, Ind.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • The only hint of the hotel was a porter who greeted me before my bag was swiftly exchanged for a glass of champagne at check-in.
    Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 26 June 2025
  • Hotels, recognizing that need, developed a person for the job: porters to move luggage.
    Katherine LaGrave, AFAR Media, 26 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gatekeeper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gatekeeper. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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