Meaning & use
gateway drug
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A substance, usually a mild drug, that is believed to lead users to try stronger or more dangerous drugs.
Grammar: Countable: a gateway drug, several gateway drugs.
Patterns
- a gateway drug to something
- be considered a gateway drug
- the gateway drug theory
Some researchers argue that alcohol is a gateway drug for teenagers.
The idea that marijuana is a gateway drug remains debated among scientists.
He described nicotine as a gateway drug that made other substances seem less frightening.
nouncountablefigurative
Something that makes people more likely to try a related but riskier activity or product.
Grammar: Used figuratively, often followed by 'to': a gateway drug to gambling.
Patterns
- a gateway drug to something
- act as a gateway drug
For some players, free mobile games act as a gateway drug to online gambling.
Economists called cheap credit a gateway drug to reckless borrowing.
Word forms
| plural | gateway drugs |
|---|
Common combinations
- the gateway drug theory
- The gateway drug theory holds that soft drugs lead to hard ones.
- be seen as a gateway drug
- Vaping is often seen as a gateway drug among young people.
- a gateway drug to harder substances
- Critics say the phrase 'a gateway drug to harder substances' oversimplifies addiction.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stepping stone
- A general phrase for something that helps you move to a bigger or riskier stage; it is not limited to drugs.
Commonly confused: gateway drug or hard drug?
gateway drug vs hard drug
A hard drug is a strong, dangerous substance itself; a gateway drug is a milder one thought to lead to hard drugs.
Practice
In the sentence 'Some people call nicotine a gateway drug,' what does 'gateway drug' mean?
Choose one answer.
A gateway drug is thought to open the way to stronger or more dangerous substances. The other options describe legal status, medical use, or safety, which are not part of the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gateway drug”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.