gatekeep

[ geyt-keep ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with or without object)

gatekept, gatekeeping.

to control access to something, or determine the legitimacy of people’s claims to a particular status, by unilaterally imposing criteria for acceptance:
We gatekeep the counseling profession at the university level—anyone not making the grade is dropped from the program.
I can't believe you’re trying to gatekeep depression based on your own symptoms.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of gatekeep¹

First recorded in 1960–65; gate ¹( def ) + keep ( def )

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The pop star’s father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., has been the primary gatekeeper of his daughter’s image and creative output since she was alive — and in the documentary, out of an old-school paternalism, he appeared to gatekeep her potential from herself.

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She added: "It was just a point in that don't try and gatekeep Oasis because you can't gatekeep probably the most famous band to come out of the UK, if we're disregarding The Beatles and stuff like that, but definitely the most famous Britpop band. You can't gatekeep them."

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We can’t gatekeep these gifts.

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"I’m not making fun of s**t. Y'all just gotta stop trying to gatekeep a religion that was here before any of us were even born," he said.

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At its worst, reality TV teaches us how we gatekeep who gets to be seen as legitimate — and who gets to be seen at all.

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gatehouse gatekeeper

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