starting gate

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noun

any of various types of movable barriers for lining up and giving an equal start to the entries in a horse or dog race.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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Origin of starting gate

First recorded in 1895–1900

Words nearby starting gate

start from scratch, star thistle, start in, starting, starting block, starting gate, starting grid, starting handle, starting price, starting rate, starting stalls

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

How to use starting gate in a sentence

The New York Islanders are looking down at the rest of the East division despite stumbling out of the starting gate.
The New York Islanders surged to top of the East and are suddenly looking dominant|Neil Greenberg|March 12, 2021|Washington Post
Running shoes will become more comfortable over time, but they should fit properly right out of the starting gate.
Best running shoes for men: Five things to consider|Eric Alt|December 9, 2020|Popular-Science
In short, I feel put on the spot, and come up lame right out of the starting-gate.
Fear And Self-Loathing In Scandinavia: The Fiction Of Karl Ove Knausgaard|Ted Gioia|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kerrey hasn't exactly blasted his way out of the starting gate.
Fischer vs. Kerrey in Nebraska|Michael Tomasky|May 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Our seats afforded a fine view of the 20 3-year-olds breaking from the starting gate.
It’s Kentucky Derby Day, but What About the Rest of Horse Racing?|Dan Packel|May 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Through a maze of heat, a half-mile distant, at the starting-gate, little spots of color moved in impatient circles.
The Man Who Could Not Lose|Richard Harding Davis
I patted Tapwater's flank, and so help me Newton, I think that one gentle tap pushed the colt half way to the starting gate!
Lighter Than You Think|Nelson Bond
Then, amid a murmur of excitement, the starting-gate went up, and the horses were off.
Adrien Leroy|Charles Garvice
He drilled every last one of his two-year-olds till the starting gate was no more to them than so much steel and wood and webbing.
McClure's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 6, October, 1908|Various
So, perfectly calm and very much bored, he danced to the starting-gate on the chestnut filly.
McClure's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 6, October, 1908|Various

British Dictionary definitions for starting gate

starting gate

noun

a movable barrier so placed on the starting line of a racecourse that the raising of it releases all the contestants simultaneously

the US name for starting stalls

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