gate

/geɪt/

/geɪt/

Other forms: gates; gated; gating

A gate is a moveable barrier that closes or opens a gap in a wall or fence. A garden gate might swing on rusty hinges, when closed helping to keep deer away from your vegetables.

A pasture gate keeps cattle or horses safe inside a fence, and if you visit someone who lives in a gated community, you'll have to be buzzed in before the gate opens to allow you inside. You'll also find gates at the airport — they're the areas with doors leading out to the airplane. The Old English source of gate is geat, "gate, door, opening, or passage."

Definitions of gate

1. noun

   a movable barrier in a fence or wall
   examples:

   Dipylon gate

   a gateway to the west of ancient Athens near which a distinctive style of pottery has been found

   types:

   head gate

   a gate upstream from a lock or canal that is used to control the flow of water at the upper end

   lock-gate

   a gate that can be locked

   lichgate, lychgate

   a roofed gate to a churchyard, formerly used as a temporary shelter for the bier during funerals

   portcullis

   gate consisting of an iron or wooden grating that hangs in the entry to a castle or fortified town; can be lowered to prevent passage

   postern

   a small gate in the rear of a fort or castle

   tailboard, tailgate

   a gate at the rear of a vehicle; can be lowered for loading

   tail gate

   a gate downstream from a lock or canal that is used to control the flow of water at the lower end

   tollbar, tollgate

   a gate or bar across a toll bridge or toll road which is lifted when the toll is paid

   turnpike

   (from 16th to 19th centuries) gates set across a road to prevent passage until a toll had been paid

   turnstile

   a gate consisting of a post that acts as a pivot for rotating arms; set in a passageway for controlling the persons entering

   wicket, wicket door, wicket gate

   small gate or door (especially one that is part of a larger door)

   type of:

   movable barrier

   a barrier that can be moved to allow passage
2. noun

   passageway (as in an air terminal) where passengers can embark or disembark
   types:

   arrival gate

   gate where passengers disembark

   departure gate

   gate where passengers embark

   type of:

   passageway

   a passage between rooms or between buildings
3. verb

   supply with a gate
   “The house was gated”

   type of:

   furnish, provide, render, supply

   give something useful or necessary to
4. verb

   control with a valve or other device that functions like a gate
   type of:

   control, operate

   handle and cause to function
5. verb

   restrict (school boys') movement to the dormitory or campus as a means of punishment
   type of:

   bound, confine, limit, restrain, restrict, throttle, trammel

   place limits on (extent or access)
6. noun

   total admission receipts at a sports event
   type of:

   gross, receipts, revenue

   the entire amount of income before any deductions are made
7. noun

   a computer circuit with several inputs but only one output that can be activated by particular combinations of inputs
   synonyms: logic gate

   types:

   AND circuit, AND gate

   a circuit in a computer that fires only when all of its inputs fire

   NAND circuit, NAND gate

   a logic gate that produces an output that is the inverse of the output of an AND gate

   OR circuit, OR gate

   a gate circuit in a computer that fires when any of its inputs fire

   X-OR circuit, XOR circuit, XOR gate

   gate for exclusive OR; a circuit in a computer that fires only if only one of its inputs fire

   type of:

   computer circuit

   a circuit that is part of a computer