gate
gate — noun
1. a movable panel that blocks a gap in an outdoor barrier, such as a garden wall o
a movable panel that blocks a gap in an outdoor barrier, such as a garden wall or boundary fence, and can be opened to create a passage.
Kevin closed the garden gate after the dog ran out into the street.
collocation: close/open a gate
The old iron gate at the entrance to the park had a heavy latch.
pattern: the gate at/to [place]
Mr. Chen painted the wooden gate that separates his farm yard from the main road.
The delivery driver rang the bell at the front gate and waited for someone to open it.
collocation: ring the bell at the gate
Eve pushed open the gate and walked into the field.
- close a gate
- open a gate
- push a gate
- gate to
- gate at
- lock a gate
- swing gate
- iron gate
- wooden gate
- garden gate
- front gate
Grammar Patterns
a/the + gate
gate + preposition (to/in/at/of)
Usage Note
A gate is part of a larger barrier (fence, wall, hedge) and swings or slides to create a passage. It is distinct from a door, which is part of a building and hinges to the building's frame.
Common Mistakes
2. the area in an airport terminal where passengers wait and then walk through a do
the area in an airport terminal where passengers wait and then walk through a doorway to board their aeroplane, or where they arrive after leaving a plane.
The passengers waited at gate 12 for their flight to Taipei.
pattern: at gate + number
An announcement said that boarding at gate 7 would begin in ten minutes.
Lara rushed to gate 23 just before the doors closed for departure.
collocation: rush to / reach a gate
Passengers travelling to Tokyo should go to gate 15 for boarding.
pattern: gate + for [destination]
- gate number
- boarding gate
- departure gate
- gate change
- at the gate
- gate closes
- gate opens
- boarding gate
more formal and specific term, used in official airport announcements
- departure gate
emphasises that passengers leave from here
Grammar Patterns
gate + number
at gate + number
gate + for [flight/destination]
Usage Note
Airport gates are usually identified by a number (gate 5, gate 22). The gate number is shown on the boarding pass and on screens in the terminal.
Common Mistakes
3. a type of barrier that moves sideways on a track or folds into sections when ope
a type of barrier that moves sideways on a track or folds into sections when opened, commonly used where a swinging door would take up too much space.
The sliding gate at the car park opened automatically when a car approached the sensor.
pattern: sliding gate + at [place]
A folding metal gate was pulled across the shop entrance every evening after closing.
collocation: folding gate
The warehouse uses a heavy steel gate that slides along a track.
A sliding gate at the railway crossing lowered to stop traffic when a train approached.
- sliding gate
- folding gate
- steel gate
- sliding track
- slide across
- barrier
general term; less specific about the sliding or folding mechanism
Grammar Patterns
sliding/folding + gate
Usage Note
Distinguish from noun sense 1 (DOOR IN FENCE OR WALL): sense 1 gates swing on hinges; sense 3 gates slide or fold. Sense 3 is more common for commercial or industrial settings where space is limited.
4. how many people come to a sports match, show, or festival, or the total sum rais
how many people come to a sports match, show, or festival, or the total sum raised from ticket sales.
Sixty thousand fans came to the stadium, making it the biggest gate of the year.
pattern: the biggest/largest gate
The organisers were pleased with the gate of forty-five thousand for the three-day music festival.
A gate of only twelve thousand people meant the small club lost money that night.
pattern: a gate of + number
The boxing match set a new gate record for the city this summer.
collocation: gate record
- gate revenue
- gate money
- gate receipts
- crowd gate
- match gate
- gate record
- attendance
refers specifically to the number of people, not the money
- takings
more general word for money received, not limited to events
- receipts
formal term for money taken, often used in financial or business contexts
Grammar Patterns
a gate of + number
the gate + was/reached
Usage Note
Most often used in sports reporting. The context usually makes clear whether the word refers to people (attendance) or money (revenue). For example, 'a gate of £50,000' is clearly about money, while 'a gate of 20,000' is about people.
5. a basic electronic circuit used in computers and digital devices that takes one
a basic electronic circuit used in computers and digital devices that takes one or more input signals and produces a single output signal according to a fixed logical rule, such as AND, OR, or NOT.
In the alarm system, an AND gate checks both the door sensor and the motion detector before triggering the alarm.
pattern: AND/OR/NOT gate
An Intel processor chip contains millions of logic gates that process binary data inside a laptop.
collocation: logic gate
Inside the calculator chip, each logic gate checks whether certain conditions are true before sending a result to the display.
A digital thermometer processor uses AND and OR gates to convert the temperature into a readable number.
- logic gate
- AND gate
- OR gate
- NOT gate
- gate circuit
- binary gate
- input signal
- output signal
- logic gate
more precise term; all electronic gates are logic gates that perform Boolean operations
- circuit
a broader term that may contain many gates working together
Grammar Patterns
logic gate
AND/OR/NOT gate
Usage Note
Commonly used with a prefix naming the logical rule: AND gate, OR gate, NOT gate, NAND gate, NOR gate. The term appears in computing textbooks and hardware descriptions.
gate — noun
1. a word part added to a noun to name a public scandal, usually one that involves
a word part added to a noun to name a public scandal, usually one that involves dishonest, secret, or illegal behaviour by people in positions of power.
The story became known as Travelgate after reporters uncovered the misuse of public money.
pattern: [X]gate = scandal involving X
A scandal called Datagate destroyed the company's reputation last year.
The media used the name Bridgegate because the affair involved the closure of a bridge.
formation: topic + gate
Labour Party politicians at the centre of the Fundinggate scandal faced demands to resign from parliament.
- -gate scandal
- gate affair
- headline-gate
- scandal
the general term; -gate is a stylistic suffix used only in media contexts
Grammar Patterns
[noun] + gate
Usage Note
Derived from the Watergate scandal (1972). Since then, -gate has been added to many nouns in journalism to name scandals. It is an informal, media-driven formation and is rarely found in formal writing.
Common Mistakes
To start something well and achieve success immediately, especially in sports.
The new runner came out of the gates fast and won the race.
Did the team get out of the gate strongly in their first game?
From the very beginning of a situation or activity.
Right out of the gate, the project faced budget problems.
Maya knew the answer out of the gate when the teacher asked.
gate — verb
1. to punish a student at a boarding school by not allowing them to leave the schoo
to punish a student at a boarding school by not allowing them to leave the school grounds or their dormitory for a set period of time.
The headmaster gated three students for the weekend after the noisy dormitory party.
pattern: gate + someone + for + period
Kevin was gated for a month after leaving the school grounds without permission.
passive: be gated
Harrow School gated two students for a week after catching them sneaking out of the dormitory past midnight.
Eri was worried about being gated for the whole holiday break after the incident.
- be gated
- gated for a week
- gated student
- confine
more general term; not specific to school punishments
Grammar Patterns
be gated + for [period]
gate + someone + for [period]
Usage Note
Almost exclusively used in British boarding school contexts. Usually appears in the passive voice (was gated, were gated). Very rare in American English.
2. to provide a fence, wall, or other opening with a gate, or to close off an area
to provide a fence, wall, or other opening with a gate, or to close off an area by installing a gate.
The council decided to gate the park entrance to keep vehicles out at night.
pattern: gate + [location]
The farmer gated the new fence to allow access to the field for the tractor.
The narrow path was gated to stop walkers from entering the private garden.
passive: be gated
The landowner gated the driveway after too many cars parked there without permission.
- gate an entrance
- gate a path
- gated entrance
- gated road
- block
more general; does not specify using a gate specifically
Grammar Patterns
gate + [location]
be gated
Usage Note
Much less common than the noun form of gate. In everyday speech, people are more likely to say 'put a gate in' or 'install a gate' rather than use the verb gate.
3. to regulate the passage of something such as water, electrical current, or data
to regulate the passage of something such as water, electrical current, or data using a device that opens and closes like a gate to start or stop the flow.
A valve gates the flow of water through the pipe when pressure rises.
pattern: gate + the flow of [substance]
A temperature sensor gates the electrical current to prevent the motor from overheating.
The office router gates data traffic between the Taipei and Tokyo servers during the afternoon peak hours to prevent congestion.
domain: computing
The temperature-control chip gates the power signal based on the voltage it receives from the heat sensor in the boiler.
- gate the flow
- gate the current
- gate data
- gate traffic
Grammar Patterns
gate + [flow/current/data]
Usage Note
Most commonly used in technical writing about engineering or computing. In everyday English, 'control' or 'regulate' are more common alternatives.
Word family
- gatedadjectiveB1
- gatewaynounB1
- gatehousenounB2
- gatecrashverbC1
- gatecrashernounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Gate and door are the most easily confused pair. A door is part of a building and swings on hinges attached to the building's frame; a gate is part of an outer fence, wall, or barrier surrounding a piece of land. Barrier is a broader term for anything that blocks movement (a concrete barrier, a sound barrier) and does not imply that the object can be opened. Entrance focuses on the idea of a way in, without specifying the physical object that closes it. For example: 'Kevin closed the garden gate after the dog ran into the street' (a physical barrier on a fence); 'Eve knocked on the front door of the house' (part of the building); 'The police put up a barrier to block the road' (temporary blockage); 'The main entrance to the park is on the north side' (point of access, not the object).
Common collocations
Etymology
Gate comes from Old English geat, meaning an opening or passage in a wall or fence. It is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Old Norse gat (hole, opening) and Dutch gat (hole). The suffix -gate for naming scandals was invented after the Watergate scandal of 1972, in which the break-in at the Watergate Hotel led to the resignation of US President Richard Nixon. Since then, journalists have added -gate to other nouns to create names for new political and corporate scandals.