noun
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a building above or beside an entrance gate to a city, university, etc, often housing a porter or guard, or (formerly) used as a fortification
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a small house at the entrance to the grounds of a country mansion
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a structure that houses the controls operating lock gates or dam sluices
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gatehouse
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at gate 1, house
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Eastlands did not yet know it, but the gatehouse had been razed by the flood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Joel has already sold the gatehouse of the abode for $7 million and is now looking to offload the main property, which is known as MiddleSea.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025
The entrance was cordoned off by police and the rubble of what might have been some kind of gatehouse was strewn across the ground.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2025
There also is a three-bedroom gatehouse and a two-bedroom carriage house with a clock tower.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
Basil Stag Hare superintended the willing creatures who carried logs and filling to shore up the gatehouse entrance.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Two guesthouses, a pair of gatehouses and a tennis court also are on the grounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2019
The plans included installing permanent gatehouses near the two main tunnels to serve as locker rooms.
From New York Times ● Nov. 2, 2014
Euston has two craft breweries, the Euston Tap and the Cider Tap, in its former gatehouses.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 14, 2014
The factories themselves have high perimeter fences, gatehouses and numerous security cameras.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2013
Past the gatehouses we turned left over a cattle guard and onto a dirt perimeter road that led to the far side of the campsite.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
