attendant

American  

[uh-ten-duhnt] / əˈtɛn dənt /

noun

• attendants
  plural

1. a person who attends another, as to perform a service.

   Synonyms:

   servant, retainer, follower, comrade, companion, escort

2. Chiefly British. an usher or clerk.

3. a corollary or concomitant thing or quality.

   Synonyms:

   consequence, accompaniment

4. a person who is present, as at a meeting.

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adjective

1. being present or in attendance; accompanying.

2. consequent; concomitant; associated; related: poverty and its attendant hardships.

   winter holidays and attendant parties; war and its attendant evils;

   poverty and its attendant hardships.

attendant British  

/ əˈtɛndənt /

noun

1. a person who accompanies or waits upon another

2. a person employed to assist, guide, or provide a service for others, esp for the general public

   a lavatory attendant

3. a person who is present

4. a logical consequence or natural accompaniment

   hatred is often an attendant of jealousy

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adjective

1. being in attendance

2. associated; accompanying; related

   attendant problems

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superattendant
  noun
• unattendant
  adjective
• attendantly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• attendants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of attendant

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, present participle of attendre “to notice, await”; see attend, -ant

Explanation

An attendant is someone present at a meeting or event. A flight attendant, for example, tends to the needs of passengers on a plane trip. The word attendant has to do with being present. An attendant on a flight is present to help you if you need anything. An attendant event is one that happens in the presence of another event. In other words, it can mean "accompanying." An illness can have attendant symptoms that go along with it. Remember that the word ends in -ant.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

attendant attendants

A few minutes before the strike, the 35-year-old attendant had closed the station because of the risk of bombardment.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Samantha Montero, a 36-year-old flight attendant who ran the race last year, said training with wine made all the difference.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

In Minnesota’s second district, a longtime flight attendant and state representative is running in the Aug. 11 Democratic congressional primary to replace Rep. Angie Craig, who is seeking the governorship.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Thankfully for the attendant, Tito Double P is always camera-ready.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

By this time a teenager, Ona had moved from performing household duties to becoming Lady Washington’s personal attendant.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

According to the city authorities, the 29 facilities that charge a fee do so because they employ toilet attendants.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Flight attendants reported hearing and feeling the vibrations, and seeing a small amount of smoke before the oxygen masks were deployed.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Potential tenants LaTerra is targeting include pilots, flight attendants and other people who work at the airport.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The flight attendants are seeking an increase in wages and compensation for the work they do on the ground before and after flights take off and land, known as boarding pay and ground pay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Palace guards and attendants had showed me to the anteroom, through the long halls and corridors of the King’s House.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• aide
• assistant
• custodian
• helper
• nurse
• servant