gateway

gateway — noun

1. a space in a fence, wall, or other barrier that is fitted with a gate and allows

1.nounB1
Definition

a space in a fence, wall, or other barrier that is fitted with a gate and allows people or vehicles to go through

Example

The old stone wall had a wooden gateway that creaked when anyone pushed it open.

gateway + adjective (wooden / iron / stone)

Putri walked through the garden gateway and found herself in a field of wildflowers.

preposition: through + gateway

Common collocations
  • wooden gateway
  • stone gateway
  • iron gateway
  • main gateway
  • garden gateway
  • pass through a gateway
Synonyms
  • doorway

    refers to an opening in a building wall rather than an outdoor fence or wall

  • entrance

    more general; any way in, not necessarily one closed by a gate

  • portal

    more formal or literary; suggests a large or impressive entrance

Antonyms
  • barrier

    something that blocks the opening rather than allowing passage through it

Grammar Patterns

gateway + preposition (through/into)

Usage Note

The word gateway names the opening itself — the space where a gate is fitted — while gate refers to the movable panel or door that closes the opening.

Common Mistakes

He locked the gateway behind him.
He locked the gate behind him.
A gateway is the opening; a gate is the object you lock or open.

2. a town, city, port, or airport that people must pass through in order to reach a

2.nounB1
Definition

a town, city, port, or airport that people must pass through in order to reach a larger region or area beyond it

Example

The port city of Kaohsiung has long served as a gateway to southern Taiwan.

gateway to [region] — geographic transit hub

Singapore is widely known as the main gateway for travellers heading into Southeast Asia.

gateway for + travellers / visitors

Common collocations
  • gateway to
  • gateway for
  • main gateway
  • serve as a gateway
  • act as a gateway
Synonyms
  • hub

    focuses on activity and transport connections rather than being a pass-through point

  • entry point

    more neutral; describes any place where you first enter a region

Grammar Patterns

gateway to + place / area

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used with the preposition to followed by a region or area name. Singular form is far more common than plural.

3. an opportunity, experience, or method that helps you reach a desired goal, enter

3.nounB2
Definition

an opportunity, experience, or method that helps you reach a desired goal, enter a new career, or gain access to something you want

Example

A university degree can be a gateway to a career in medicine or law.

gateway to a career / profession

For Antonia, learning to code was a gateway to a job at a top technology company.

gateway to + noun phrase (job / opportunity)

Common collocations
  • gateway to success
  • gateway to a career
  • gateway to opportunity
  • gateway into
  • serve as a gateway
Synonyms
  • pathway

    suggests a longer, more gradual journey rather than a single entry point

  • route

    implies a specific planned course of action

  • key

    stresses that something is essential in order to begin, not just helpful

Antonyms
  • barrier

    something that blocks progress rather than enabling it

  • obstacle

    an impediment in the way of achieving a goal

Grammar Patterns

gateway to + noun / gerund phrase

Usage Note

Almost always followed by to (or occasionally into) + a noun or gerund phrase describing the desired outcome. This is the most common sense of gateway in non-technical writing and speech.

Common Mistakes

Hard work is a gateway of success.
Hard work is a gateway to success.
Use to, not of, after gateway in this figurative sense.

4. a piece of software, hardware, or digital service that connects separate parts o

4.nounB2
Definition

a piece of software, hardware, or digital service that connects separate parts of a computer system or network, allowing data or functions to be shared between them

Example

The payment system serves as a gateway between the online store and the bank.

gateway between [system A] and [system B]

Developers use the API as a gateway to access the company's customer database.

Common collocations
  • secure gateway
  • payment gateway
  • API gateway
  • gateway between
  • gateway for
  • act as a gateway
  • serve as a gateway
Synonyms
  • bridge

    a simpler, more general term for something that connects two systems

  • interface

    technical term for the point where two systems meet and interact

  • portal

    more common for a user-facing web page that provides access to multiple services

Grammar Patterns

gateway + preposition (between / for)

Usage Note

Frequently used in information technology contexts. A gateway can manage security, translate data between formats, or route traffic — its core function is always connecting two otherwise separate systems.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

All four words describe a means to an end, but each has a different emphasis. Gateway stresses the idea of entering a new stage or opportunity — it is the access point that leads to something larger. Pathway suggests a longer, more gradual process or journey rather than a single entry. Route implies a specific, often planned, course of action. Key suggests an essential tool — something you need in order to begin. A scholarship is her gateway to university (the entry point), but hard work is her pathway through university (the ongoing process). If she studies medicine, her route to becoming a doctor involves years of training. Passing the entrance exam is the key that unlocks the door.

gateway ↗pathway ↗route ↗key ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • serve as a gateway
  • act as a gateway
  • provide a gateway to

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Gateway comes from two Old English words: geat (meaning 'gate') and weg (meaning 'road' or 'path'). The compound first appeared in the 1400s as a literal term for a gate-like opening. By the 1800s writers were using it figuratively for anything that opens the way to something else, and in the late 1900s it took on the computing sense of a device that connects separate networks.