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• gate
  gate

  noun

  a movable barrier, usually on hinges, closing an opening in a fence, wall, or other enclosure.
• -gate
  -gate

  a combining form extracted from Watergate, occurring as the final element in journalistic coinages, usually nonce words, that name scandals resulting from concealed crime or other alleged improprieties in government or business.

gate

¹ American  

[geyt] / geɪt /

noun

1. a movable barrier, usually on hinges, closing an opening in a fence, wall, or other enclosure.

2. an opening permitting passage through an enclosure.

3. a tower, architectural setting, etc., for defending or adorning such an opening or for providing a monumental entrance to a street, park, etc..

   the gates of the walled city;

   the palace gate.

4. any means of access or entrance.

   The gate to stardom is talent.

5. a mountain pass.

6. any movable barrier, as at a tollbooth or a road or railroad crossing.

7. a gateway or passageway in a passenger terminal or pier that leads to a place for boarding a train, plane, or ship.

8. a sliding barrier for regulating the passage of water, steam, or the like, as in a dam or pipe; valve.

9. Skiing.

   1. an obstacle in a slalom race, consisting of two upright poles anchored in the snow a certain distance apart.

   2. the opening between these poles, through which a competitor in a slalom race must ski.

10. the total number of persons who pay for admission to an athletic contest, a performance, an exhibition, etc.

11. the total receipts from such admissions.

12. Cell Biology. a temporary channel in a cell membrane through which substances diffuse into or out of a cell.

13. Movies. film gate.

14. a sash or frame for a saw or gang of saws.

15. Metallurgy.

    1. Also called ingate.  a channel or opening in a mold through which molten metal is poured into the mold cavity.

    2. the waste metal left in such a channel after hardening.

16. Electronics.

    1. a signal that makes an electronic circuit operative or inoperative either for a certain time interval or until another signal is received.

    2. Also called logic gate.  a circuit with one output that is activated only by certain combinations of two or more inputs.

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verb (used with object)

• gates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gated,
  past participle,  past
• gating
  present participle

1. (at British universities) to punish by confining to the college grounds.

2. Electronics.

   1. to control the operation of (an electronic device) by means of a gate.

   2. to select the parts of (a wave signal) that are within a certain range of amplitude or within certain time intervals.

verb (used without object)

• gates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gated,
  past participle,  past
• gating
  present participle

1. Metallurgy. to make or use a gate.

idioms

1. give (someone) the gate,

   1. to reject (a person), as one's fiancé, lover, or friend.

   2. to dismiss from one's employ.

      They gave him the gate because he was caught stealing.

2. get the gate, to be dismissed, sent away, or rejected.

gate ² American  

[geyt] / geɪt /

noun

1. Archaic. a path; way.

2. North England and Scot.. habitual manner or way of acting.

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-gate ³ American  

1. a combining form extracted from Watergate, occurring as the final element in journalistic coinages, usually nonce words, that name scandals resulting from concealed crime or other alleged improprieties in government or business.

   Koreagate.

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gate ¹ British  

/ ɡeɪt /

noun

1. a movable barrier, usually hinged, for closing an opening in a wall, fence, etc

2. an opening to allow passage into or out of an enclosed place

3. any means of entrance or access

4. a mountain pass or gap, esp one providing entry into another country or region

5. 1. the number of people admitted to a sporting event or entertainment

   2. the total entrance money received from them

6. (in a large airport) any of the numbered exits leading to the airfield or aircraft

   passengers for Paris should proceed to gate 14

7. horse racing short for starting gate

8. electronics

   1. a logic circuit having one or more input terminals and one output terminal, the output being switched between two voltage levels determined by the combination of input signals

   2. a circuit used in radar that allows only a fraction of the input signal to pass

9. the electrode region or regions in a field-effect transistor that is biased to control the conductivity of the channel between the source and drain

10. a component in a motion-picture camera or projector that holds each frame flat and momentarily stationary behind the lens

11. a slotted metal frame that controls the positions of the gear lever in a motor vehicle

12. rowing a hinged clasp to prevent the oar from jumping out of a rowlock

13. a frame surrounding the blade or blades of a saw

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verb

1. to provide with a gate or gates

2. to restrict (a student) to the school or college grounds as a punishment

3. to select (part of a waveform) in terms of amplitude or time

gate ² British  

/ ɡeɪt /

noun

1. the channels by which molten metal is poured into a mould

2. the metal that solidifies in such channels

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gate ³ British  

/ ɡeɪt /

noun

1. a way, road, street, or path

2. a way or method of doing something

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-gate ⁴ British  

combining form

1. indicating a person or thing that has been the cause of, or is associated with, a public scandal

   Irangate

   Camillagate

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gate More Idioms  

1. see crash the gate; give someone the air (gate).

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Usage

What does -gate mean? The combining form -gate is used like a suffix meaning “scandal (often resulting from a concealed crime)” or "controversy." It is often used in informal terms, especially in politics and journalism. The form -gate comes from a shortened form of Watergate, a reference to the White House political scandal that came to light during the 1972 presidential campaign. The scandal centered on a break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate apartment-office complex in Washington, D. C., and, after congressional hearings, culminated in the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gateless
  adjective
• gatelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• gating
  present
• gated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• gate
  simple
• gates
  simple
• have gated
  perfect
• has gated
  perfect
• am gating
  progressive
• are gating
  progressive
• is gating
  progressive
• have been gating
  perfect progressive
• has been gating
  perfect progressive

Past

• gated
  simple
• had gated
  perfect
• was gating
  progressive
• were gating
  progressive
• had been gating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will gate
  simple
• will have gated
  perfect
• will be gating
  progressive
• will have been gating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of gate¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English gat, gate, geat, Old English geat (plural gatu ); cognate with Low German, Dutch gat “hole, breach”; cf. gate ²

Origin of gate²

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English gate, gat, gata, from Old Norse gata “path, way, road,” Old High German gazza, German Gasse “lane, alley”; perhaps akin to Old English geat gate ¹; cf. gat ³

Explanation

A gate is a moveable barrier that closes or opens a gap in a wall or fence. A garden gate might swing on rusty hinges, when closed helping to keep deer away from your vegetables. A pasture gate keeps cattle or horses safe inside a fence, and if you visit someone who lives in a gated community, you'll have to be buzzed in before the gate opens to allow you inside. You'll also find gates at the airport — they're the areas with doors leading out to the airplane. The Old English source of gate is geat, "gate, door, opening, or passage."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gate -gate gates gated gating

ICE agents sought to board the plane with an administrative warrant, but an airline gate agent declined to let them board without a judicial warrant signed by a judge, according to the documents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

It’s at the TSA gate of every airport in the country.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

LIsting image reveal private stone steps that lead down to the beach, where a small cabana has been stationed—with a private gate keeping out any unwanted visitor.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Standing alone in front of the gate, she told staff streaming out for lunch to remember her son and others like him.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Chase got out and closed the gate behind them, then climbed back into the cab.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

That's far from the only scandal to rock the world of curling: The sport was also hit with two doping scandals during the 2010 Paralympics, and created another "-gate" scandal with 2009's "Dumpgate."

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2022

Meanwhile, Nixon still hovers in the dark shadows of American history, the jowly-faced villain tattooed on Roger Stone’s back, and his signature scandal has provided shorthand for every other -gate scandal that’s followed.

From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2022

At a time when the U.S. president is facing impeachment — and the -gate suffix seems ubiquitous — the stage for the exhibition is a found object in its own right.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 14, 2019

People are talking about “threadfefes”, apparently, although the lack of a clear meaning makes the suffix harder to apply than, say, -gate.

From The Guardian ● May 31, 2017

Wick′et-door, -gate, a wicket; Wick′et-keep′er, in cricket, the fieldsman who stands immediately behind the wicket.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

In recent weeks, officers have broadened their approach to make more arrests near gates and ticket counters at airports from San Francisco to Miami and Kansas City, Mo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

County Supervisor and Metro’s first vice chair Kathryn Barger said that customer satisfaction climbed to 87% and that updated fare gates increased paid ridership.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Its chief ambition is endurance: it must survive transit, uncertain demand and an unknowable stretch between gates.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

But O’Leary is secretive about exactly when passengers might see the aircraft at their gates, largely because that will depend on the FAA’s safety approvals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

When we reached the castle, the guards saluted them and opened the gates.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

One resident also told the newsrooms that they spotted Paxton in the gated community.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

LAKESIDE, Mont.— David Fetveit, a third-generation Montanan, is looking forward to the opening of Territory 1889 Golf & Lake Club, a luxury gated community of 359 homes rising in this corner of Big Sky Country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Set back from the main road behind a gated driveway, the dwelling sits on close to 10 acres, ensuring that the A-list duo was able to enjoy ample privacy whenever they were at home.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 4, 2026

At the same time, the organization is racing to raise $10 million by the end of July to protect a swath of land along the lake’s north shore from becoming a gated community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

They withdraw from mixed neighborhoods into distant suburbs, gated communities, or guarded apartment towers; they shop in stores that, in line with the prevailing “market segmentation,” are designed to appeal to the affluent alone.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Analysts warn continued outflows could force private-credit funds into fire sales or to freeze withdrawals, a process called gating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

PSPOs replace earlier measures such as designated public place orders, gating orders, and dog control orders.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

The funds started gating their exits and giving investors smaller and smaller prorated portions of the cash investors sought.

From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026

And when loans become difficult to offload, managers may need to sell them at a discount or decide to halt withdrawals, a process known as gating.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 21, 2026

I was also feeling rather dull, for I had already got through a fortnight of my gating, and to be kept in college after nine o'clock night after night is not very exciting.

From Godfrey Marten, Undergraduate by Turley, Charles

Related Words

• bar
• door
• doorway
• exit
• fence
• port