gatekeep

American  

[geyt-keep] / ˈgeɪtˌkip /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of gatekeep

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gatekeep gatekeeping gatekept

“If you gatekeep people from accessing, then you’re creating an uneven playing field.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

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

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025

Now, if you're particularly fond of the nuances and flavors of "pancake syrup" and real maple is a bit too rich for your wallet, then I don't want to gatekeep your syrup stylings.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2023

As a gay White man, he didn’t want to gatekeep, even as he languished on “every wait list.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2023

AI experts and users expressed frustration, accusing Anthropic of gatekeeping and blocking benign topics like biology, chemistry and mathematics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

The message has been clear: Set open pathways for innovation and avoid federal gatekeeping.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

The Gymkhana is expensive to join, but access has long been controlled more by gatekeeping than price.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

“One moment of gatekeeping, though, was the public beach scene that we shot in Santa Monica,” said producer Jane Cha Cutler.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026

“Just trying to break free of the algorithm gods gatekeeping art.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026

The average person shouldn’t have to fret that bold ideas and wondrous cinematic visions are being gatekept from them by the people in a boardroom clinging to a conservative agenda.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026

“To ask themselves, where can art exist? Can I just do it myself? And can I take agency over this process that’s so heavily gatekept most of the time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2023

The problem is that most financial institutions have gatekept this info and prevented us from having power and choices.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2022

“Like game mechanics, fine, those shouldn’t be gatekept, but at the very least even different themes or terminology makes things more interesting?”

From The Verge ● Aug. 18, 2021

The clientele there, and in New York, are self-selecting, and the Ace is less a gatekept democracy than an anarcho-libertarian paradise.

From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2011