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

People were getting information without waiting to have it curated by the usual gatekeepers of newspapers, TV stations and so on.

From Salon

The chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission sees their platforms as a way for society to channel the wisdom of crowds for useful information, offering a check on news media and other gatekeepers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Along with Ticketmaster, which it purchased in 2010, Live Nation puts on concerts, sells tickets and owns venues, serving multiple roles that US regulators said had turned it into a "gatekeeper" for the industry.

From BBC

It follows a broader trend of airlines focusing on high-earning business travelers over casual leisure flyers, with credit cards increasingly serving as the gatekeeper to the best travel benefits.

From MarketWatch

Clinicians usually serve as the gatekeepers of accommodation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• protector