gatekeeper

American  

[geyt-kee-per] / ˈgeɪtˌki pər /

noun

1. a person in charge of a gate, usually to identify, count, supervise, etc., the traffic that flows through it.

2. 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.

3. a guardian; monitor.

   the gatekeepers of Western culture.

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gatekeeper British  

/ ˈɡeɪtˌkiːpə /

noun

1. a person who has charge of a gate and controls who may pass through it

2. 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

3. a manager in a large organization who controls the flow of information, esp to parent and subsidiary companies

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Etymology

Origin of gatekeeper

First recorded in 1565–75; in 1905–10 gatekeeper for defs. 2, 3; gate ¹ + keeper

Example Sentences

China used to be a growth market for Hollywood but is now better understood as a gatekeeper — a market that can determine whether a movie becomes a true global phenomenon.

From MarketWatch

On Jan. 1, China’s new export-licensing regime takes effect, putting government gatekeepers between 121 million ounces of annual silver exports and the rest of the world.

From MarketWatch

In her preface to “Inhabit the Poem,” she writes that the “popular belief that ‘gatekeepers’—publishers, university lecturers, anthologists, and advertisers—create the longevity of the authors we call ‘canonical’ is false.

From The Wall Street Journal

Those “gatekeepers” can’t favor their own services over those of competitors and have to open their own ecosystems to competitors for the good of users.

From Los Angeles Times

They traded intel about exclusive dinners with star guests, and sought out supposed gatekeepers to the royal family.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• protector