gating

American  

[gey-ting] / ˈgeɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of controlling the passage or pathway of something.

2. Cell Biology. the process by which a channel in a cell membrane opens or closes.

3. Metallurgy. a system for casting metal involving a mold with a channel or opening into which the molten metal is poured.

4. Electronics. the process of controlling the operation of an electronic device by means of a gate, a signal that makes an electronic circuit operative or inoperative either for a certain time interval or until another signal is received.

5. (at British universities) a punishment in which a student is confined to the college grounds.

   The penalty for being out after hours will be gating for up to a month.

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Etymology

Origin of gating

First recorded in 1945–50; gat(e) ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Interval funds operate with defined liquidity windows and often include redemption limits, which can lead to gating in periods of elevated withdrawal requests.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

The platform has “age gating requirements,” she said, and its marketing isn’t focused specifically on college students.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Two particularly puzzling behaviors have long intrigued scientists: rectification and gating.

From Science Daily • Nov. 11, 2025

“Our sense is that the concept of data being central is translating from a theory to practice as it becomes a bona fide gating factor to effective AI adoption,” he wrote.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

The poor fiscal stood gating at the vacant place where she had stood, as if the sun of his existence had set.

From Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vol. II. by Stephens, John L.