as in janitors
a person who tends a door
those who are hopelessly unhip have little chance of making past the club's gatekeeper and his velvet rope
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of gatekeepers
There are gatekeepers, and there are soul partners.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The Supreme Court had agreed to consider the case last year, taking on a years-long legal battle between the major record labels and the internet provider, with the labels saying internet gatekeepers should be held responsible for their users’ infringing behaviors.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
To McCarty, the texts reflected just how determined the system’s gatekeepers were to preserve the status quo, despite the new law.
—Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Counties are gatekeepers of the process, but Section 5200 is rarely, if ever, used — despite California’s ongoing struggle to help people who refuse to engage in treatment and end up homeless, in jail or worse.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
What followed became an exercise in thinking through what is lost—and perhaps can never be regained—when transphobes and their enablers rise to prominence as our most powerful cultural gatekeepers.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the gatekeepers allocating this capital remain overwhelmingly male.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Studios, producers and other gatekeepers rapidly figured out that people did not want to go back there.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Smaller players have bought up hundreds of independent gatekeepers — consultants, advisers and third-party administrators.
—Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026
Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The Supreme Court had agreed to consider the case last year, taking on a years-long legal battle between the major record labels and the internet provider, with the labels saying internet gatekeepers should be held responsible for their users’ infringing behaviors.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
To McCarty, the texts reflected just how determined the system’s gatekeepers were to preserve the status quo, despite the new law.
—Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Counties are gatekeepers of the process, but Section 5200 is rarely, if ever, used — despite California’s ongoing struggle to help people who refuse to engage in treatment and end up homeless, in jail or worse.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
What followed became an exercise in thinking through what is lost—and perhaps can never be regained—when transphobes and their enablers rise to prominence as our most powerful cultural gatekeepers.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the gatekeepers allocating this capital remain overwhelmingly male.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Studios, producers and other gatekeepers rapidly figured out that people did not want to go back there.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Smaller players have bought up hundreds of independent gatekeepers — consultants, advisers and third-party administrators.
—Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gatekeepers
Noun
-
More than 60% of janitors, cooks, home health aids, construction workers and landscapers are immigrants.—
Sara DiNatale,
San Francisco Chronicle,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Columbia students, along with outside agitators, broke into an academic building and temporarily detained the janitors inside.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That’s the day after the four-year-old contract expires for nearly 34,000 doormen, porters and maintenance workers.—
Michelle Kaske,
Bloomberg,
25 Mar. 2026
-
With models trailed by porters toting handfuls of monogrammed luggage?—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gatekeepers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gatekeepers. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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