gatekeeper
Americannoun
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a person in charge of a gate, usually to identify, count, supervise, etc., the traffic that flows through it.
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a person or thing that controls access, as to information, often acting as an arbiter of quality or legitimacy: An open internet allows innovators to bypass traditional gatekeepers and promote their work on its own merit.
Treating office gatekeepers with respect will improve your chances of scheduling a face-to-face meeting or job interview.
An open internet allows innovators to bypass traditional gatekeepers and promote their work on its own merit.
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a guardian; monitor.
the gatekeepers of Western culture.
noun
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a person who has charge of a gate and controls who may pass through it
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any of several Eurasian butterflies of the genus Pyronia, esp P. tithonus, having brown-bordered orange wings with a black-and-white eyespot on each forewing: family Satyridae
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a manager in a large organization who controls the flow of information, esp to parent and subsidiary companies
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gatekeeper
First recorded in 1565–75; in 1905–10 gatekeeper for defs. 2, 3; gate 1 + keeper
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:
In findings published in Science Advances, the team showed that the MPS acts as a physical gatekeeper for nearly every major type of endocytosis.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
AI companies vying for a spot in the Pentagon said Palantir has in effect become a gatekeeper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
Boshra married the son of Khamanei's longstanding gatekeeper and chief of staff, the cleric Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
The 56-year-old cleric largely kept a low profile during his father's rule, but there were longstanding rumours about his influence as a gatekeeper to the late supreme leader.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
At last Frodo spoke to Pippin and Sam: ‘I ought to have guessed it from the way the gatekeeper greeted us,’ he said.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Meanwhile, the rules meant to protect ordinary savers have been dismantled by some of the gatekeepers entrusted to enforce them.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
He told the members of the jury that they were the "gatekeepers" and "guards against any risk of a miscarriage of justice".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
“There are no gatekeepers, which means the ceiling is sky-high and the floor is as low as it gets; I’ve seen genuinely mind-blowing shows at Fringe, as well as a whole lot of crap.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
But if she is a delightful, gritty inspiration to some, Moses has always been an overrated “primitive” kept aloft by a winning backstory to others, including many art-world gatekeepers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
The seasons, the gatekeepers of Olympus, stood waiting to fling the doors wide.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
