gate rape

noun

Aggressive security screening prior to aircraft boarding.

Meanings

noungate rape (countable and uncountable, plural gate rapes)

plural gate rapes

  1. countablederogatoryinformaluncountableAggressive security screening prior to aircraft boarding.

    Ever since the Thanksgiving rebellion over intrusive new pat-downs that some have dubbed “gate-rape,” Americans have been debating security requirements versus privacy rights.

    2011 April 20, Maureen Dowd, “Stripped of Dignity”, in The New York Times, page A23
    1 more example

    Now, some women's advocates are referring to the situation as "Gate Rape" and speaking out against incidents like these so that other women don't have to endure the same humiliation.

    2010 December 3, Kim Conte, “Most Humiliating TSA Pat-Downs of the Week”, in The Stir, archived from the original on 08 Dec 2010
verbgate rape (third-person singular simple present gate rapes, present participle gate raping, simple past and past participle gate raped)

present singular third person gate rapes · participle present gate raping · participle past gate raped · past gate raped

  1. derogatoryinformalTo screen (someone) aggressively prior to allowing them to board an aircraft.

    And yet for all its tyranny, Israel doesn’t gate-rape passengers as does America's TSA.

    2011 January 7, Becky Akers, “How to Save Million$ Reading TNA's Website!”, in The New American, archived from the original on 13 Jan 2011
    1 more example

    We need to open a bar at that airport. People need a stiff drink after being gate raped by the TSA.

    2012 November 18, Courtney Lilly, “A General Thanksgiving Episode”, in The Cleveland Show, season 4, episode 3, spoken by Cleveland Brown (Mike Henry)

Origin

From gate (“passageway in an airport for embarking passengers”) + rape, formed to rhyme with date rape.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

gate rape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gate%20rape

MLA

“gate rape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gate%20rape. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gate rape,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gate%20rape.

Source: gate rape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.