Gate vs. Door: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
A "gate" is a hinged barrier used to close an opening in a fence or wall, while a "door" is a movable barrier securing an entrance to a building, room, or vehicle.
Key Differences
"Gate" typically refers to a large, often outdoor entryway within a fence or external boundary, designed to secure or allow access to an area. "Door," on the other hand, is commonly associated with indoor access points, providing privacy and security within buildings.
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Nov 17, 2023
Gates are often found in gardens, parks, or as part of a perimeter fence, and can be ornate or utilitarian in design. Doors, however, are essential components of buildings, usually smaller than gates, and are integral to the architecture of homes, offices, and other structures.
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In terms of construction, gates are typically made of materials like metal or wood and may be part of a larger fence structure. Doors, while also made from various materials, including wood and metal, are built to fit within the framework of a building and often have a more complex locking mechanism.
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Functionally, gates primarily control access to outdoor spaces or large enclosures and can be symbolic, as in "gates to a city." Doors serve as entryways into rooms or buildings, offering control over environmental elements and privacy.
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The language usage also differs; "gate" can be used metaphorically in phrases like "gatekeeping," while "door" is often found in expressions like "opportunity knocks on the door," symbolizing chances or entry into new experiences.
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Comparison Chart
Metaphorical Use
"Gatekeeping" (controlling access)
"Opening/closing doors" (opportunities)
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Gate and Door Definitions
Door
A hinged or sliding barrier at an entrance.
She knocked on the wooden door.
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Gate
A passageway for boarding or disembarking.
Her flight was assigned to gate 23.
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Gate
A symbolic point of entry or initiation.
The ceremony marked the gate to adulthood.
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Door
A panel covering an opening in a vehicle.
He closed the car door gently.
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Gate
A structure that can be swung, drawn, or lowered to block an entrance or a passageway.
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Door
A metaphor for opportunity or transition.
A new door opened in her career.
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Gate
The structure surrounding such an opening, such as the monumental or fortified entrance to a palace or walled city.
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Oct 19, 2023
Door
A movable structure used to close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates.
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Gate
A doorway or walkway in a terminal, as at an airport, through which passengers proceed when embarking or disembarking.
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Door
The room or building to which a door belongs:They live three doors down the hall.
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Gate
The total paid attendance or admission receipts at a public event
A good gate at the football game.
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Oct 19, 2023
Door
(Slang)To strike (a passing bicyclist, for example) by suddenly opening a vehicular door.
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Gate
A device for controlling the passage of water or gas through a dam or conduit.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
The channel through which molten metal flows into a shaped cavity of a mold.
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Oct 19, 2023
Door
A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, typically consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed, and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key.
I knocked on the vice president's door
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Gate
(Sports) A passage between two upright poles through which a skier must go in a slalom race.
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Door
Any flap, etc. that opens like a door.
The 24 doors in an Advent calendar
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Door
(figurative) A means of approach or access.
Learning is the door to wisdom.
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Door
(figurative) A possibility.
To leave the door open
All doors are open to somebody
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Gate
Chiefly British To confine (a student) to the grounds of a college as punishment.
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Gate
(Electronics) To select part of (a wave) for transmission, reception, or processing by magnitude or time interval.
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Door
A software mechanism by which a user can interact with a program running remotely on a bulletin board system. See BBS door.
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Gate
To furnish with a gate
"The entrance to the rear lawn was also gated" (Dean Koontz).
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Door
The proceeds from entrance fees and/or ticket sales at a venue such as a bar or nightclub, especially in relation to portion paid to the entertainers. "The bar owner gives each band a percentage of the door and charges customers more to get in"
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Door
To cause a collision by opening the door of a vehicle in front of an oncoming cyclist or pedestrian.
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Door
An opening in the wall of a house or of an apartment, by which to go in and out; an entrance way.
To the same end, men several paths may tread,As many doors into one temple lead.
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Gate
Movable barrier.
The gate in front of the railroad crossing went up after the train had passed.
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Door
The frame or barrier of boards, or other material, usually turning on hinges, by which an entrance way into a house or apartment is closed and opened.
At last he came unto an iron doorThat fast was locked.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
Passageway (as in an air terminal) where passengers can embark or disembark.
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Door
Passage; means of approach or access.
I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.
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Gate
A location which serves as a conduit for transport, migration, or trade.
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Door
An entrance way, but taken in the sense of the house or apartment to which it leads.
Martin's office is now the second door in the street.
A riot unpunished is but next door to a tumult.
His imaginary title of fatherhood is out of doors.
If I have failed, the fault lies wholly at my door.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
The amount of money made by selling tickets to a concert or a sports event.
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Door
A swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle;
He knocked on the door
He slammed the door as he left
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
(computing) A logical pathway made up of switches which turn on or off. Examples are and, or, nand, etc.
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Oct 19, 2023
Door
The entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close;
He stuck his head in the doorway
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Gate
(electronics) The controlling terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
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Door
Anything providing a means of access (or escape);
We closed the door to Haitian immigrants
Education is the door to success
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Gate
In a lock tumbler, the opening for the stump of the bolt to pass through or into.
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Door
A structure where people live or work (usually ordered along a street or road);
The office next door
They live two doors up the street from us
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
(metalworking) The channel or opening through which metal is poured into the mould; the ingate.
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Door
A room that is entered via a door;
His office is the third door down the hall on the left
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Gate
The waste piece of metal cast in the opening; a sprue or sullage piece. Also written geat and git.
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Gate
(cricket) The gap between a batsman's bat and pad.
Singh was bowled through the gate, a very disappointing way for a world-class batsman to get out.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
(cinematography) A mechanism, in a film camera and projector, that holds each frame momentarily stationary behind the aperture.
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Gate
(flow cytometry) A line that separates particle type-clusters on two-dimensional dot plots.
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Gate
A tally mark consisting of four vertical bars crossed by a diagonal, representing a count of five.
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Gate
A street; now used especially as a combining form to make the name of a street e.g. "Briggate" (a common street name in the north of England meaning "Bridge Street") or Kirkgate meaning "Church Street".
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
(transitive) To punish, especially a child or teenager, by not allowing them to go out.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
(transitive) To turn (an image intensifier) on and off selectively as needed, or to avoid damage from excessive light exposure. See autogating.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
A large door or passageway in the wall of a city, of an inclosed field or place, or of a grand edifice, etc.; also, the movable structure of timber, metal, etc., by which the passage can be closed.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
An opening for passage in any inclosing wall, fence, or barrier; or the suspended framework which closes or opens a passage. Also, figuratively, a means or way of entrance or of exit.
Knowest thou the way to Dover?Both stile and gate, horse way and footpath.
Opening a gate for a long war.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
A door, valve, or other device, for stopping the passage of water through a dam, lock, pipe, etc.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
The places which command the entrances or access; hence, place of vantage; power; might.
The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
In a lock tumbler, the opening for the stump of the bolt to pass through or into.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
The channel or opening through which metal is poured into the mold; the ingate.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
A way; a path; a road; a street (as in Highgate).
I was going to be an honest man; but the devil has this very day flung first a lawyer, and then a woman, in my gate.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
To punish by requiring to be within the gates at an earlier hour than usual.
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
A computer circuit with several inputs but only one output that can be activated by particular combinations of inputs
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
Passageway (as in an air terminal) where passengers can embark or disembark
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Oct 19, 2023
Gate
Restrict (school boys') movement to the dormitory or campus as a means of punishment
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Gate
A movable barrier in a fence or wall.
The garden gate swayed in the wind.
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Nov 17, 2023
Gate
A structure that controls the flow of water.
The dam's gates were opened to release water.
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Nov 17, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Can "gate" and "door" be used interchangeably?
No, they have distinct uses based on location and function.
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Nov 17, 2023
Do doors always have handles?
Most doors have handles or knobs for operation.
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Nov 17, 2023
Are gates primarily for outdoor use?
Yes, gates are usually found outdoors.
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Nov 17, 2023
Are gates always part of a fence?
Typically, but they can also be standalone structures.
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Nov 17, 2023
Are gates used in transportation settings?
Yes, like airport boarding gates.
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Nov 17, 2023
Are all doors meant for walking through?
Mostly, but some are for vehicles or as panels on machinery.
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Nov 17, 2023
Is a door always made of solid material?
Usually, to provide security and privacy.
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Nov 17, 2023
Are doors used for aesthetic purposes?
Often, especially in interior design.
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Nov 17, 2023
Can a door be part of a gate?
Rarely, though some large gates may have a smaller door built-in.
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Nov 17, 2023
Can "door" refer to a metaphorical barrier?
Yes, in contexts like "closing the door" on an opportunity.
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Nov 17, 2023
Do doors play a role in safety regulations?
Yes, especially in terms of fire safety and emergency exits.
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Nov 17, 2023
Is a "door" used in computer terminology?
Yes, in terms like "backdoor" in software or security.
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Can a gate be automated?
Yes, many modern gates have automated opening systems.
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Nov 17, 2023
Is the term "gate" used in sports?
Yes, like in horse racing or ski slalom events.
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Is there a cultural significance to doors?
Yes, in many cultures, doors have symbolic meanings and customs associated with them.
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Nov 17, 2023
Do doors have a standard size?
Generally, but sizes can vary greatly, especially in custom designs.
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Nov 17, 2023
Can a gate be part of a building's architecture?
Rarely, as they are generally separate from the building structure.
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Nov 17, 2023
Are gates symbolic in literature?
Frequently, representing entry or change.
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Nov 17, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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Hifza Nasir
