guest
noun
a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.
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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.
-
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.
-
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
-
( 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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-
-
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
-
-
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
-
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:
That assessment doesn’t comport with the reality of the comic’s three lackluster appearances as guest host.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"Officers working at the park responded to an incident involving a male guest on a roller coaster," it said in a statement on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The video of the event, taken by another guest at the party, was cited in a filing in a Texas civil court case in which that guest is a defendant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
I’ll also be checking out Folia, a planning site I heard about that helps you track just about everything including budget, invoices, guest list and seating chart.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Yeah. My name is Mavis, and I’m looking for my mother. I was wondering if a guest named Julie Callahan is staying with you right now?”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
However, Guest warns striving for a sculpted stomach could "feed into people's insecurities".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Guest: Oliver Darcy, founder and lead author of Status News.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
Still, Foley, whose provocative reads include “The Guest List” and “The Paris Apartment,” had to follow ground rules for the conservative Miss Marple: The character couldn’t be young.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Guest: Paul Ford, co-founder of the AI start-up Aboard, technology writer.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
We’d been in the middle of Latin lessons when Mr. Brown came and knocked on the door of the schoolhouse and called Mrs. Guest outside.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
At his wedding he stood with ramrod military posture as guests scrawled wishes on his vest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
In a statement on social media, the team said the retreat had hosted more than 3,000 guests over the last five years, and wanted to "reassess" what it should offer in a changing world.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
On stage you get to hear more nuances — on “Weekend Update” it’s a short segment, and I’m splitting time with Colin and guests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Unrecognized guests can ask basic questions about the weather and control nonsecurity smart appliances such as smart lights and thermostats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Ba, the guests will be here any minute.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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
He recently guested on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” and Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department,” and he joined fellow Stagecoach 2024 performers Morgan Wallen and Hardy at the CMA Awards in November for a country medley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 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
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
Before Run the Jewels, Killer Mike was a satellite member of Outkast’s Dungeon Family collective, guesting on other people’s hits and releasing a few near-hits of his own.
From New York Times ● May 26, 2020
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
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