guest
noun
a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.
guest
1 American
[gest]
/ gɛst /
noun
-
guests
plural
-
a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.
- Synonyms:
- company
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a person who receives the hospitality of a club, a city, or the like.
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a person who patronizes a hotel, restaurant, etc., for the lodging, food, or entertainment it provides.
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an often well-known person invited to participate or perform in a regular program, series, etc., as a substitute for a regular member or as a special attraction.
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Zoology. an inquiline.
verb (used with object)
-
guests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
guested,
past participle, past
-
guesting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
guests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
guested,
past participle, past
-
guesting
present participle
adjective
-
provided for or done by a guest.
a guest towel; a guest column for a newspaper.
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participating or performing as a guest.
a guest conductor.
Guest
2
American
[gest]
/ gɛst /
noun
guest
British
/ ɡɛst /
noun
-
a person who is entertained, taken out to eat, etc, and paid for by another
-
-
a person who receives hospitality at the home of another
a weekend guest
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( as modifier )
the guest room
-
-
-
a person who receives the hospitality of a government, establishment, or organization
-
( as modifier )
a guest speaker
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-
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an actor, contestant, entertainer, etc, taking part as a visitor in a programme in which there are also regular participants
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( as modifier )
a guest appearance
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-
a patron of a hotel, boarding house, restaurant, etc
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zoology a nontechnical name for inquiline
-
informal do as you like
verb
guest
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See visitor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
guestsimple
-
guestssimple
-
have guestedperfect
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has guestedperfect
-
am guestingprogressive
-
are guestingprogressive
-
is guestingprogressive
-
have been guestingperfect progressive
-
has been guestingperfect progressive
Past
-
guestedsimple
-
had guestedperfect
-
was guestingprogressive
-
were guestingprogressive
-
had been guestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of guest
First recorded before 900; Middle English gest, from Old Norse gestr; replacing Old English gi(e)st; cognate with German Gast, Gothic gasts, Latin hostis; host 1, host 2
Explanation
If you invite a friend to your home, she is your guest. You might announce to your parents that you've invited seven guests for Thanksgiving. Someone who's visiting, or who's been asked to come, is a guest. If your next door neighbor comes over for lunch, she's a guest, and every one of the two hundred people you invite to a wedding is also a guest. You're often referred to as a guest when you stay at a hotel, too. The Old English root of guest is gæst, "a stranger" or "an accidental guest."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The wedding guest list numbered around 50, including Jared Kushner and other members of the Trump family.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Chris and his guest, Dorking Wanderers boss Marc White, both got four correct results with no exact scores from the 10 games in week four, giving them 40 points each.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
One guest spent about $15,000 on seven weddings and three bachelorette parties in a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
There were no family or friends on the guest list, just their officiant and Seyfried’s dog, Finn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
That afternoon, Chicken wanted to play sharks with Lily in the guest room.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Guest: Paul Ford, co-founder of the AI start-up Aboard, technology writer.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
Guest actor in a comedy series Rob Reiner, “The Bear”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
The nominations have been announced and also include five for drama series The Guest and three for crime thriller Under Salt Marsh.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Guest: Catherine Rampell, economics editor at The Bulwark, author of the Receipts and anchor at MS NOW.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
Guest lists are just a way of choosing sides.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
If the sauce needs nothing from me, I can spend that energy making dessert, mixing a cocktail for guests, warming bread — or simply deciding which sparkling water sounds good.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
A spokesperson for Britannia Hotels Group, which runs the Grand Burstin, said it was "taking immediate action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests and team members".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
At another with Carolina Herrera, guests were transported by luxury train to an estate in the British countryside for dinner in a vineyard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“A lot of the time, the brides lose sight of what they’re asking their guests to do because they’re spending so much money.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
But on All Hallows’ Eve, the realms were unwelcome guests.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
In 2023, he appeared on “The Masked Singer” as “The Gnome” and guested for a four-episode run on “Days of Our Lives” as a man with amnesia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
Gorsuch spoke at the presidential libraries of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and guested on Firing Line, a PBS opinion show hosted by the conservative commentator Margaret Hoover.
From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2024
"Richard Belzer was one of the most kindest and welcoming actors when I guested on two episodes of Law and Order: SVU," tweeted Marlee Matlin.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2023
London has frequently collaborated with the artist now known as Ye, who produced and guested on 2014′s “Vibes.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2023
Sansa remembered Lord Yohn Royce, who had guested at Winterfell two years before.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Weir also was a dedicated collaborator, inviting friends to perform with him or guesting on their records or in concert.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2026
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy have been similarly prolific in their guesting.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2025
They also appeared regularly on television, making specials and guesting on various shows.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
“My day was always better for having passed through the Earwolf studios, whether it’s hosting or guesting, whatever.”
From The Verge ● Mar. 22, 2022
And since his own lord had exiled him and his story went before him, none would take him in, but after the three days’ guesting all sent him from their doors as an outlaw.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
