Definition of "tollgate" [toll•gate]

• A gate barring passage to a road, tunnel, or bridge until a toll is collected. (noun)
• A tollbooth equipped with a gate. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In too many cases, our local governments have become a kind of tollgate that business leaders must pay to cross into a community that has a lot to offer."
• "In particular, its iTunes Store gives it control of the tollgate through which billions of paid-for music tracks and albums, videos and apps cascade down to millions of customers worldwide."
• "We would have a greater ability to invest here if we didn't have to pay a 'tollgate tax' to bring the cash home."