- gate
- I
[[t]geɪt[/t]]n. v. gat•ed, gat•ing1) a movable barrier, usu. on hinges, closing an opening in a fence, wall, or other enclosure2) an opening permitting passage through an enclosure3) a tower, architectural setting, etc., for defending or adorning such an opening or for providing a monumental entrance to a street, park, etc4) any means of access or entrance:the gate to success[/ex]5) a mountain pass6) trs any movable barrier, as at a tollbooth or a railroad crossing8) trs a gateway or passageway in a passenger terminal or pier that leads to a place for boarding a train, plane, or ship9) civ a sliding barrier for regulating the passage of water, steam, or the like, as in a dam or pipe; valve10) spoa) an obstacle in a slalom race, consisting of two upright poles anchored in the snow a certain distance apartb) the opening between these poles, through which a competitor in a slalom race must ski11) the total number of persons who pay for admission to an athletic contest, a performance, an exhibition, etc12) the total receipts from such admissions13) cbl a temporary channel in a cell membrane through which substances diffuse into or out of a cell14) elo elm a circuit with one output that is actuated only by certain combinations of two or more inputs15) cvb+sts the gate, rejection; dismissal:to give a boyfriend the gate[/ex]16) (at British universities) to punish by confining to the college grounds17) elo to control the operation of (an electronic device) by means of a gate•Etymology: bef. 900; OE geat (pl. gatu), c. OFris gat hole, OS: eye of a needle; cf. gate II IIgate[[t]geɪt[/t]] n.archaic a path; way•Etymology: 1150–1200; ME < ON gata path
From formal English to slang. 2014.