visitor

American  

[viz-i-ter] / ˈvɪz ɪ tər /

noun

1. a person who visits, as for reasons of friendship, business, duty, travel, or the like.

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visitor British  

/ ˈvɪzɪtə /

noun

1. a person who pays a visit; caller, guest, tourist, etc

2. another name for visitant

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Related Words

Visitor, caller, guest, visitant are terms for a person who comes to spend time with or stay with others, or in a place. A visitor often stays some time, for social pleasure, for business, sightseeing, etc.: a visitor at our neighbor's house. A caller comes for a brief (usually) formal visit: The caller merely left her card. A guest is anyone receiving hospitality, and the word has been extended to include anyone who pays for meals and lodging: a welcome guest; a hotel guest. Visitant applies especially to a migratory bird or to a supernatural being: a warbler as a visitant.

Other Word Forms

• previsitor noun

Etymology

Origin of visitor

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English visitour, from Anglo-French; Old French visiteor, from Late Latin vīsitātor, equivalent to Latin vīsitā(re) “to go to see, visit” ( visit ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

Nearly 400,000 visitors have seen the Working Class Hero exhibition in his honour at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery since July.

From BBC

Tourism is roughly 7% of gross domestic product and Chinese visitors roughly one-fifth of all arrivals.

From The Wall Street Journal

Entering the 50th over, the visitors needed 18 for victory with one wicket left.

From Barron's

The visitors chose not to send any of their XI from the first Test to play in an England Lions fixture against the Prime Minister's XI, a two-day pink-ball fixture in Canberra.

From BBC

Beijing is now the top trading partner and though it is boosting the economy, increasing numbers of Chinese businesses and visitors are a source of discontent for some.

From Barron's

Related Words

• caller
• company
• foreigner
• guest