gatekeeper

[ geyt-kee-per ]

noun

1. a person in charge of a gate, usually to identify, count, supervise, etc., the traffic that flows through it.
2. a person or thing that controls access, as to information, often acting as an arbiter of quality or legitimacy: An open internet allows innovators to bypass traditional gatekeepers and promote their work on its own merit. Compare influencer ( def 2 ).

   Treating office gatekeepers with respect will improve your chances of scheduling a face-to-face meeting or job interview.

   An open internet allows innovators to bypass traditional gatekeepers and promote their work on its own merit.

3. a guardian; monitor:

   the gatekeepers of Western culture.

gatekeeper

/ ˈɡeɪtˌkiːpə /

noun

1. a person who has charge of a gate and controls who may pass through it
2. any of several Eurasian butterflies of the genus Pyronia, esp P. tithonus, having brown-bordered orange wings with a black-and-white eyespot on each forewing: family Satyridae
3. a manager in a large organization who controls the flow of information, esp to parent and subsidiary companies

Word History and Origins

Origin of gatekeeper¹

First recorded in 1565–75; in 1905–10 gatekeeper fordefs 2, 3; gate ¹ + keeper

Example Sentences

A boy needs his dad to be the initiating gatekeeper to a dog-eat-dog world!

From Nautilus

One of Criteo’s proposals to provide more balance in the cookieless targeting and measurement process is to set up an “independent gatekeeper” such as a cloud service provider or SSP to “provide people more control and transparency,” said Blanchard.

From Digiday

One of Criteo’s proposals is to set up an “independent gatekeeper” such as a cloud service provider or server side platform to “provide people more control and transparency,” said Blanchard.

From Digiday

Specifically he has been thinking about he and others learned how to use the web to get around gatekeepers like the big, traditional media companies and inadvertently “opened a kind of Pandora’s box,” he said.

From Digiday

Wisecracks like “Protesters storm parliament in this former British colony” flew thick and fast worldwide, highlighting the irony of a putsch in a country that sees itself as the global gatekeeper of democratic propriety.

From Time

But when I arrive at the entrance, the timid gatekeeper tells me—without explanation—that I can no longer speak with him.

From The Daily Beast

First, Bradey met with Elizabeth Hawley, the gatekeeper of Everest records.

From The Daily Beast

As the gatekeeper to Battery Park, Mike will likely have to deal with hundreds of fuming tourists each day.

From The Daily Beast

The chief of staff is the gatekeeper, which translates into a great deal of power, but far from absolute.

From The Daily Beast

She served as a gatekeeper and adviser, friend and designer wrangler.

From The Daily Beast

The gatekeeper assured us that a thousand visitors on a single day was not an uncommon occurrence.

From Project Gutenberg

Before I reached the Temple the gates had been closed, and the gatekeeper, as I entered, eyed me with an unpleasant curiosity.

From Project Gutenberg

The portly gatekeeper smiled pleasantly as he stood looking after his master.

From Project Gutenberg

A gatekeeper on one of the German railways kept a goat, and one day, when his wife was ill, he went himself to milk it.

From Project Gutenberg

He thought of it and thought of it, until he resolved to steal up the stairs, if the gatekeeper would let him through, and listen.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• protector