gateway drug

[ geyt-wey druhg ]

noun

any drug, as a stimulant or tranquilizer, whose use may lead to the use of more dangerous or addictive drugs such as heroin.

Origin of gateway drug

First recorded in 1985–90

Words Nearby gateway drug

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gateway drug in a sentence

If art NFTs are the gateway drug, then the potential applications of this technology for metaverse creation is the end goal.
Behind the Scenes at Art Basel Miami: The Biggest IRL Metaverse Party Yet | Raisa Bruner | December 9, 2021 | Time
Many marine biologists identify a gateway drug into their obsession, and for Heather Koldewey, it was the seahorse.
How Surprising Connections Can Save the Ocean - Issue 99: Universality | Mary Ellen Hannibal | April 29, 2021 | Nautilus
For many people, mobile was their gateway drug into VR in the form of inexpensive, cardboard boxes designed to project VR content off of a smartphone.
Best VR headsets: Bring your entertainment to life | Eric Alt | January 11, 2021 | Popular-Science
Plus it is clear that plastic surgery is a gateway drug for those both so inclined and so well-heeled.
The New World of Anti-Aging Dentistry | Kent Sepkowitz | June 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But I do like the notion of same-sex marriage as a liberation gateway drug.
Were Christians Right About Gay Marriage All Along? | Jay Michaelson | May 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

“For the girls who have never bought a business book, I think this can be the gateway drug,” Amoruso says.
The ‘Nasty Gal’ Invasion: Sophia Amoruso Wants to Create an Army of #GIRLBOSSes | Alison Baitz | May 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In fact, various media outlets have re-reported what has effectively been a faux gateway-drug story for at least 10 years.
Parents Panic Over Old Fake Smarties Snorting Craze | Lizzie Crocker | January 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The second major critique is that boycotting the settlements represents a kind of gateway drug to boycotting all of Israel.
Answering My Critics on Zionist BDS | Peter Beinart | March 20, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for gateway drug

gateway drug

noun

a recreational drug such as cannabis, the use of which is believed by some to encourage the user to try stronger drugs

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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