gate

[ geyt ]

/ geɪt /

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See synonyms for: gate / gated / gates / gating on Thesaurus.com

noun

a 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.

verb (used with object), gat·ed, gat·ing.

(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.

verb (used without object), gat·ed, gat·ing.

Metallurgy. to make or use a gate.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

First recorded before 900; Middle English gat, gate, geat, Old English geat (plural gatu ); cognate with Low German, Dutch gat “hole, breach”; cf. gate²

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH gate

gait, gate

Words nearby gate

gas welding, gas well, gasworks, gat, gata, gate, gate array, gâteau, gate-crash, gate-crasher, gated

Other definitions for gate (2 of 3)

gate²

[ geyt ]

/ geɪt /

noun

Archaic. a path; way.

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

Origin of gate

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 gate¹; cf. gat³

Other definitions for gate (3 of 3)

-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: Koreagate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gate in a sentence

Healthe concedes its entry gate may not be as critical as its 222 nm products focused on air decontamination, but says it a valuable part of its layered approach to disinfection.
Can far-UVC light reduce the spread of COVID-19 indoors?|Erika Fry|August 31, 2020|Fortune
One of the first major tech companies out of the gate with a questionably useful product is LG.
LG’s battery-powered face mask will “make breathing effortless”|Ron Amadeo|August 27, 2020|Ars Technica
FinFET maintained fine control of current by surrounding the channel with a gate on three sides.
Moore’s Law Lives: Intel Says Chips Will Pack 50 Times More Transistors|Jason Dorrier|August 23, 2020|Singularity Hub
A transistor is “on” when the gate allows current to flow, and it’s off when no current flows.
Moore’s Law Lives: Intel Says Chips Will Pack 50 Times More Transistors|Jason Dorrier|August 23, 2020|Singularity Hub

If women’s soccer became popular and could attract those kinds of gates, that would take away from the men’s professional team.
Should America (and FIFA) Pay Reparations? (Ep. 426)|Stephen J. Dubner|July 16, 2020|Freakonomics
The Florida GOP senator stormed out of the gate Wednesday in the highest of dudgeons.
Rubio’s Embargo Anger Plays to the Past|Michael Tomasky|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
They 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|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|DAILY BEAST
In earlier centuries academies existed to decide what was art, while today we have gallerists and critics at the gate.
Blurred Lines at NY Sketchbook Museum|Daniel Genis|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 Tracy
At once the sepoys at the Kashmir Gate fired a volley at the nearest officers, of whom three fell dead.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
First through the gate came a company of Korean foot-soldiers, in blue uniforms.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Bride and bridegroom, accompanied by the weeping crowd, proceeded to the castle gate.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
A 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)

gate¹

/ (ɡeɪt) /

noun

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 aircraftpassengers 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

verb (tr)

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

Derived forms of gate

gateless, adjectivegatelike, adjective

Word Origin for gate

Old English geat; related to Old Frisian jet opening, Old Norse gat opening, passage

British Dictionary definitions for gate (2 of 4)

gate²

/ (ɡeɪt) /

noun dialect

the channels by which molten metal is poured into a mould

the metal that solidifies in such channels

Word Origin for gate

C17: probably related to Old English gyte a pouring out, geotan to pour

British Dictionary definitions for gate (3 of 4)

gate³

/ (ɡeɪt) /

noun Scot and Northern English dialect

a way, road, street, or path

a way or method of doing something

Word Origin for gate

C13: from Old Norse gata path; related to Old High German gazza road, street

British Dictionary definitions for gate (4 of 4)

-gate

n combining form

indicating a person or thing that has been the cause of, or is associated with, a public scandalIrangate; Camillagate

Word Origin for -gate

C20: on the analogy of Watergate

Collins 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

gate

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

gate

Idioms about gate

Origin of gate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH gate

Words nearby gate

Other definitions for gate (2 of 3)

Origin of gate

Other definitions for gate (3 of 3)

Words related to gate

How to use gate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gate (1 of 4)

Derived forms of gate

Word Origin for gate

British Dictionary definitions for gate (2 of 4)

Word Origin for gate

British Dictionary definitions for gate (3 of 4)

Word Origin for gate

British Dictionary definitions for gate (4 of 4)

Word Origin for -gate

Other Idioms and Phrases with gate