gatekeep

American  

[geyt-keep] / ˈgeɪtˌkip /

verb (used with or without object)

gatekept, gatekeeping

1. to control access to something, or determine the legitimacy of people’s claims to a particular status, by unilaterally imposing criteria for acceptance.

   We gatekeep the counseling profession at the university level—anyone not making the grade is dropped from the program.

   I can't believe you’re trying to gatekeep depression based on your own symptoms.

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Etymology

Origin of gatekeep

First recorded in 1960–65; gate ¹ ( def. ) + keep ( def. )

Example Sentences

"AI is here to stay, to gatekeep its capability would be against the beliefs I hold dear about art," he said.

From BBC

“We’re not gonna gatekeep people. We want more women to have more opportunities,” Tosi said.

From Los Angeles Times

He reassured her that being undocumented did not gatekeep someone from belonging.

From Los Angeles Times

And the sense that providers should listen to what patients want and not gatekeep care infused the intra-movement debate about care for trans young people, leading many clinicians to conclude that their task was service provision, not gatekeeping.

From Slate

The pop star’s father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., has been the primary gatekeeper of his daughter’s image and creative output since she was alive — and in the documentary, out of an old-school paternalism, he appeared to gatekeep her potential from herself.

From Los Angeles Times