gate
1a movable barrier, usually on hinges, closing an opening in a fence, wall, or other enclosure.
an opening permitting passage through an enclosure.
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.
any means of access or entrance: The gate to stardom is talent.
a mountain pass.
any movable barrier, as at a tollbooth or a road or railroad crossing.
a gateway or passageway in a passenger terminal or pier that leads to a place for boarding a train, plane, or ship.
a sliding barrier for regulating the passage of water, steam, or the like, as in a dam or pipe; valve.
Skiing.
an obstacle in a slalom race, consisting of two upright poles anchored in the snow a certain distance apart.
the opening between these poles, through which a competitor in a slalom race must ski.
the total number of persons who pay for admission to an athletic contest, a performance, an exhibition, etc.
the total receipts from such admissions.
Cell Biology. a temporary channel in a cell membrane through which substances diffuse into or out of a cell.
Movies. film gate.
a sash or frame for a saw or gang of saws.
Metallurgy.
Also called ingate . a channel or opening in a mold through which molten metal is poured into the mold cavity.
the waste metal left in such a channel after hardening.
Electronics.
a signal that makes an electronic circuit operative or inoperative either for a certain time interval or until another signal is received.
Also called logic gate . a circuit with one output that is activated only by certain combinations of two or more inputs.
(at British universities) to punish by confining to the college grounds.
Electronics.
to control the operation of (an electronic device) by means of a gate.
to select the parts of (a wave signal) that are within a certain range of amplitude or within certain time intervals.
Metallurgy. to make or use a gate.
Idioms about gate
get the gate, Slang. to be dismissed, sent away, or rejected.
give (someone) the gate, Slang.
to reject (a person), as one's fiancé, lover, or friend.
to dismiss from one's employ: They gave him the gate because he was caught stealing.
Origin of gate
1Words that may be confused with gate
- gait, gate
Other definitions for gate (2 of 3)
Archaic. a path; way.
North England and Scot.. habitual manner or way of acting.
Origin of gate
2Other definitions for -gate (3 of 3)
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gate in a sentence
The Florida GOP senator stormed out of the gate Wednesday in the highest of dudgeons.
Said it was like speed dating because he was late after hitting every wrong gate on the lot.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Slam Leonardo DiCaprio, Willow and Jaden Smith, Gush Over Ryan Gosling | William Boot | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey dumped his body at the gate of a black cemetery—his head and right arm were gone.
Greil Marcus Talks About Trying to Unlock Rock and Roll in 10 Songs | Allen Barra | November 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“We shoot at Sunset Gower Studios, and you can see the street through the gate,” he says.
Jeff Daniels Defends Aaron Sorkin and the ‘Dumb and Dumber’ Toilet Scene | Kevin Fallon | November 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn earlier centuries academies existed to decide what was art, while today we have gallerists and critics at the gate.
Yet he feared to meet her eyes, and was glad of a saluting sepoy who swaggered jauntily past the open gate.
The Red Year | Louis TracyAt once the sepoys at the Kashmir gate fired a volley at the nearest officers, of whom three fell dead.
The Red Year | Louis TracyFirst through the gate came a company of Korean foot-soldiers, in blue uniforms.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikeBride and bridegroom, accompanied by the weeping crowd, proceeded to the castle gate.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsA rough track led to the gate, and Frank knocked loudly on an iron-studded door.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
British Dictionary definitions for gate (1 of 4)
/ (ɡeɪt) /
a movable barrier, usually hinged, for closing an opening in a wall, fence, etc
an opening to allow passage into or out of an enclosed place
any means of entrance or access
a mountain pass or gap, esp one providing entry into another country or region
the number of people admitted to a sporting event or entertainment
the total entrance money received from them
(in a large airport) any of the numbered exits leading to the airfield or aircraft: passengers for Paris should proceed to gate 14
horse racing short for starting gate
electronics
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
a circuit used in radar that allows only a fraction of the input signal to pass
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
a component in a motion-picture camera or projector that holds each frame flat and momentarily stationary behind the lens
a slotted metal frame that controls the positions of the gear lever in a motor vehicle
rowing a hinged clasp to prevent the oar from jumping out of a rowlock
a frame surrounding the blade or blades of a saw
to provide with a gate or gates
British to restrict (a student) to the school or college grounds as a punishment
to select (part of a waveform) in terms of amplitude or time
Origin of gate
1Derived forms of gate
- gateless, adjective
- gatelike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for gate (2 of 4)
/ (ɡeɪt) /
the channels by which molten metal is poured into a mould
the metal that solidifies in such channels
Origin of gate
2British Dictionary definitions for gate (3 of 4)
/ (ɡeɪt) /
a way, road, street, or path
a way or method of doing something
Origin of gate
3British Dictionary definitions for -gate (4 of 4)
indicating a person or thing that has been the cause of, or is associated with, a public scandal: Irangate; Camillagate
Origin of -gate
4Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with gate
see crash the gate; give someone the air (gate).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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