gatekeeper

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who guards or controls passage through a gate or entrance

   The gatekeeper checked each visitor's pass before opening the courtyard.

2. 2
   noun

   a person, group, or institution that controls access to information, resources, opportunities, or another person

   Editors often act as gatekeepers who decide which stories reach the public.

From gate + keeper. The literal compound names someone stationed at an entrance; its figurative use extends that control of physical passage to control over information, institutions, opportunities, and people.

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