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

"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

“We’re not gonna gatekeep people. We want more women to have more opportunities,” Tosi said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025

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

Mothers shouldn't feel the need to gatekeep, the fear that not doing so will negatively impact their children.

From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2022

AI experts and users expressed frustration, accusing Anthropic of gatekeeping and blocking benign topics like biology, chemistry and mathematics.

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

There are hundreds and hundreds of athletes across the board, and although we all came from a world of gatekeeping, it’s just not that anymore.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

Among the many quotes Ross left with his audience is one that dismantles intimidating concepts about natural ability, the kind of artistic gatekeeping we often impose on ourselves.

From Salon ● May 2, 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

“Like game mechanics, fine, those shouldn’t be gatekept, but at the very least even different themes or terminology makes things more interesting?”

From The Verge ● Aug. 18, 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