hostess

American  

[hoh-stis] / ˈhoʊ stɪs /

noun

hostesses plural

1. a woman who receives and entertains guests in her own home or elsewhere.

2. a woman employed in a restaurant or place of amusement to receive, seat, or assist patrons.

3. a woman who acts as master of ceremonies, moderator, or interviewer for a television or radio program; host.

4. a woman employed by an airline, railroad, bus company, etc., to see that passengers are comfortable throughout a trip, usually receiving and seating them, and sometimes serving them refreshments.

5. a woman who manages a resort or hotel or who directs its social activities.

6. taxi dancer.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to be the hostess at (a reception, dinner, etc.).

   She will hostess a shower for the new bride.

2. to act as hostess at, to, or for.

   She volunteered to hostess the garden club next season.

verb (used without object)

1. to perform the duties or functions of a hostess.

hostess British  

/ ˈhəʊstɪs /

noun

1. a woman acting as host

2. a woman who receives and entertains patrons of a club, restaurant, etc

3. See air hostess

---

Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hostess-ship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hostesses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hostess

1250–1300; Middle English ( h ) ostesse < Old French. See host ¹, -ess

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hostess hostesses

The hostess working the front desk at the bar compliments my hair, which, to be honest, is in desperate need of a cut.

From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026

The 72-year-old said he had been hugely surprised to have his directorial debut, which stars his daughter Ella Bleu as an air hostess, accepted at the world's most prestigious film festival.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

“Five minutes to showtime,” said Lil Miss Hot Mess, drag queen and hostess, as Latine drag kings El Daña and Manny Oakley readied themselves for the spotlight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Susan Nasser works as a hostess, welcoming shoppers at the luxury Bicester Village outlet shopping centre and helping them find their way around.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026

It was as though the mention of their host and hostess had a curiously paralysing effect upon the guests.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

“The program was started to bring the hostesses to work so that they wouldn’t show up in cars,” McKinney said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

These nightclubs were frequented by activists, diplomats, politicians, air hostesses and young people.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2023

The complaint states that the plaintiff and other hostesses reported the incident to supervisors, who said they would investigate and provide updates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

Washington has its famed political hostesses — Sally Quinn, Pamela Harriman — but latter-day New York has lacked for gatherers.

From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2022

I described the glittering casinos and the glamorous high rollers, the palm trees and the swimming pools, the hotels with ice-cold air-conditioning and the restaurants where hostesses with long white gloves fit flaming desserts.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls