starting gate
Americannoun
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
Etymology
Origin of starting gate
First recorded in 1895–1900
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"When I think back on my crash, I didn't stand in the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences. I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk," she added.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
With one surgically rebuilt knee and a completely torn ACL in the other, the 41-year-old Vonn gutted her way to the starting gate and had a real chance of medaling before her violent crash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
Street was at the starting gate of the Olimpia delle Tofane course for Sunday’s coverage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026
Vonn crashed just 13 seconds after leaving the starting gate, losing control and falling hard on the course.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2026
At the starting gate he broke through over and over again, delaying the start for three minutes.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
