gatekeep

[geyt-keep]

verb (used with or without object)

gatekept, gatekeeping 

1. to control access to something, or determine the legitimacy of people’s claims to a particular status, by unilaterally imposing criteria for acceptance.

   We gatekeep the counseling profession at the university level—anyone not making the grade is dropped from the program.

   I can't believe you’re trying to gatekeep depression based on your own symptoms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gatekeep¹

First recorded in 1960–65; gate ¹ ( def. ) + keep ( def. )

Example Sentences

"AI is here to stay, to gatekeep its capability would be against the beliefs I hold dear about art," he said.

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“We’re not gonna gatekeep people. We want more women to have more opportunities,” Tosi said.

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He reassured her that being undocumented did not gatekeep someone from belonging.

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And the sense that providers should listen to what patients want and not gatekeep care infused the intra-movement debate about care for trans young people, leading many clinicians to conclude that their task was service provision, not gatekeeping.

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The pop star’s father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., has been the primary gatekeeper of his daughter’s image and creative output since she was alive — and in the documentary, out of an old-school paternalism, he appeared to gatekeep her potential from herself.

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