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

I never really thought, “Oh I’m gonna gatekeep this because one day I’m going to make a documentary.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

"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

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

A wave of AI experts reacted with frustration, accusing the company of gatekeeping to harm potential competitors and muddying the ability of outside researchers to assess and use Fable to its full potential.

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

The evening could’ve kept going — Hampton, Mays and Robinson had so much to say about an industry that is still widely misunderstood and filled with gatekeeping.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

But in many cases, saving the children from corruption is more about gatekeeping access to information and platforms that allow young people to express themselves and connect with new communities.

From Salon ● Apr. 16, 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

Even though they had the best phone in this very early category, they were gatekept out of the market in various ways, but it was still popular.

From The Verge ● Nov. 4, 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