attendee

American  

[uh-ten-dee, at-en-, uh-ten-dee] / ə tɛnˈdi, ˌæt ɛn-, əˈtɛn di /

noun

1. a person who is present at a specific time or place.

   a conference with thousands of attendees.

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attendee British  

/ əˌtɛnˈdiː /

noun

1. a person who is present at a specified event

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Etymology

Origin of attendee

First recorded in 1935–40; attend + -ee

Explanation

An attendee is a person who shows up at an event or meeting. If you go to your family reunion every summer, you can say you're a regular attendee. Conferences, conventions, and other gatherings need to have attendees so they can proceed as planned. You might be a French club attendee at school or a regular town bike swap attendee. The original word for attendee was attender, but its meaning came to be "someone who waits on others," while attendee, as of the mid-20th century, was "someone who attends."

Example Sentences

Attendee Rachel Speight-McGregor, 56, said she'd "already got her steps in for the morning" and called the event "a great way to start" the day.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

Attendee Rachel Yates, who said she moved to Tampa two years ago from Chicago, said she likes both Trump and DeSantis.

From Washington Times • Oct. 5, 2023

Attendee Marylize Biubwa said the current climate was frightening for gay people.

From Reuters • Jun. 22, 2023

Attendee Jo Hee Kyung, who heads the Korean Animal Welfare Association, said Kim’s comments reported in the media were largely taken out of context.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2023

Attendee Sabrina Alvarez told TMZ that things were amiss about 30 to 45 minutes into Lopez’s set when the comic began sweating and asking for water.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2022

Related Words

• attendant