1
: an opening in a wall or fence
2
: a city or castle entrance often with defensive structures (such as towers)
3
a
: the frame or door that closes a gate
b
: a movable barrier (as at a grade crossing)
4
a
: a means of entrance or exit
b
c
: an area (as at a railroad station or an airport) for departure or arrival
d
: a space between two markers through which a competitor must pass in the course of a slalom race
5
a
: a door, valve, or other device for controlling the passage especially of a fluid
b(1)
: an electronic switch that allows or prevents the flow of current in a circuit compare base entry 1, drain entry 2, source entry 1
c
: a device (as in a computer) that outputs a signal when specified input conditions are met
logic gate
d
: a molecule or part of a molecule that acts (as by a change in conformation) in response to a stimulus to permit or block passage (as of ions) through a cell membrane
6
slang
: dismissal
—used in the phrases get the gate and give one the gate
If he does get the gate, expect him to have another job in the league by lunchtime.—
Bill Williamson
Bill WilliamsonThe boss gave him the gate after one too many unexcused absences.
7
: the total admission receipts or the number of spectators (as at a sports event)
gated; gating
1
British
: to confine to a campus or dormitory
2
: to supply with a gate
3
: to control with a gate
ˌgāt
: usually political scandal often involving the concealment of wrongdoing
Irangate
Synonyms
Examples of gate in a Sentence
Noun (1)
be sure to latch the gate when you leave so the dog doesn't get out
passed through the gates of the walled city
opens the gate in the lock so the ships can get through the canal
Recent Examples on the Web
David Zipper, Vox, 13 Nov. 2024
Flight 1648 landed in Denver at 1:38 p.m. and taxied to the gate without incident, according to FlightAware and airline officials.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024
Geoffrey Morrison, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
This includes covering light sockets and sharp edges on furniture, plus gating off staircases.
—Alex Vance, Parents, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gate 
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Noun
That could sabotage the new service out of the gate.
—David Zipper, Vox, 13 Nov. 2024
Flight 1648 landed in Denver at 1:38 p.m. and taxied to the gate without incident, according to FlightAware and airline officials.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
Understandably, it’s gated off for us, the unwashed masses.
—Geoffrey Morrison, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
This includes covering light sockets and sharp edges on furniture, plus gating off staircases.
—Alex Vance, Parents, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gate
Dictionary Entries Near gate
Cite this Entry
“Gate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
gate
1 of 2 noun
: a molecule or part of a molecule (as an amino acid sequence in a protein) that acts (as by a change in conformation) in response to a stimulus to permit or block passage through a cell membrane
gate
2 of 2 transitive verb
gated; gating
: to control passage through a cell membrane by way of (a specific channel) by supplying a specific stimulus
a transmembrane ion channel gated by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
see ligand-gated, voltage-gated
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