gateway

gateway gate‧way [ˈgeɪt-weɪ] noun [countable]

1. COMMERCE something that gives a person, company or country the opportunity to do something successfully or make progress in some way:

gateway to/​into/​between

• The British are heading for Texas in an attempt to open a gateway to Mexico's potentially huge markets.

• Hong Kong is a critical economic gateway between the mainland and the outside world.

2. COMPUTING a device on a computer that makes it possible to connect it to another computer of a different type or on a different network; = ROUTER:

• Email gateways already connect various US networks to a growing global infrastructure.

• Internet gateways

3. LAW in Britain, arrangements that allow companies to do things that would not normally be allowed. Gateways mainly relate to the restrictive:

• The regional unemployment gateway was successfully pleaded, where it was argued that sales restrictions would increase unemployment in the area.

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gateway UK US /ˈgeɪtweɪ/ noun [C]

► something in a system that allows you to use its other parts: »

The site's aim is to provide a central gateway for e-commerce services.

»

The bank is your gateway to a whole range of financial services.