Meaning & use
gate post
Last updated
UK/ˈɡeɪt ˌpəʊst/
US/ˈɡeɪt ˌpoʊst/
Meaning
nouncountable
An upright post at the side of a gate that holds the gate or marks the entrance.
Grammar: Often used in pairs: the left and right gate posts.
Patterns
- the gate post of something
- lean against a gate post
The gate hung crookedly because the wooden gate post had rotted.
He leaned against the gate post and waited for the bus.
We painted the stone gate posts white.
Word forms
| plural | gate posts |
|---|
Common combinations
- stone gate post
- The old stone gate post was covered with moss.
- wooden gate post
- A wooden gate post needs to be treated against rot.
- between the gate posts
- The tractor just fit between the gate posts.
- fix a gate post
- He had to fix the gate post before the cows escaped.
- lean on a gate post
- She leaned on a gate post watching the sheep.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: gate post or goalpost?
gate post vs goalpost
A goalpost is one of the posts of a goal in sports like soccer or rugby, not part of a gate.
Practice
The farmer hung the heavy gate from a strong ____ made of oak.
Choose one answer.
A gate post is the post that holds a gate. A lamp post carries a light and a sign post carries a sign, so neither holds a gate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gate post”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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