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.

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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

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Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hostess-ship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hostesses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of hostess

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hostess hostesses

Nathalie Tolentino was a hostess whose family came to the U.S. to escape political upheaval in Peru.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

A no-holds barred interview with US talkshow hostess Oprah Winfrey also deepened the rift.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Nell’s plan to shuttle Gabby off to another local hostess is foiled, and all three women find themselves cohabitating uneasily, even as Gabby and Orla strike up a friendly intimacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

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

She was trying to placate her critics by being a courteous hostess like La Beale Isoud.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

The exhibition introduces Williamsburg’s first interpreters: mostly older white women who, as costumed hostesses, were tasked with guiding visitors.

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

I signed up with the agencies that Forza Italia used to hire hostesses for its rallies, which borrowed the American political term "conventions."

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2023

Except for restaurateur Vanderpump, all are current or former servers, hostesses, busboys or bartenders at her SUR and Pump restaurants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2023

As one of the church’s hostesses and secretaries, I worked in the office on a regular basis—before and after school, and on weekends—so I had the chance to observe some of these meetings firsthand.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

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