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
In the 1960s, when Didion and her husband, John Gregory Dunne, lived on the peninsula in a Spanish-style gatehouse, Didion observed the “slump of the hill” making its strange descent into the ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2025
According to its report, Queen Elizabeth was seen "pacing casually" with her sister Princess Margaret on the road by the gatehouse to the castle when the president drove up with Prince Philip just before noon.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2025
Before the hornets could seek out new victims, Basil ordered the defenders down to the gatehouse study, where they had a celebration snack.
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
