As a term for a science fictional device allowing rapid travel between distant locations, the word "stargate" was coined by Arthur C. Clarke in the story 2001: A Space Odyssey. The word is often used to refer to the corresponding sequence in the film version which was released in 1968.

The science fiction film Stargate was released in 1994. It features a stargate device, but is otherwise unrelated to 2001: A Space Odyssey. There were several spin-offs:

• The science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 first aired in 1997.
• The science fiction cartoon series Stargate Infinity first aired in 2002.
• The science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis first aired in 2004.
• See Stargate for discussion of this fictional setting as a whole.

Other uses of the word:

• The science fiction book Stargate by Pauline Gedge was published in 1982.
• Stargate, also known as Defender II, is an arcade game that was released in 1981.
• Project Star Gate was a series of remote viewing experiments performed by the CIA from 1972 to 1995.
• The stargate is a Protoss building type in the computer game StarCraft.