guest

¹

[gest]

noun

1. a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.

   Synonyms: company

2. a person who receives the hospitality of a club, a city, or the like.

3. a person who patronizes a hotel, restaurant, etc., for the lodging, food, or entertainment it provides.

4. 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.

5. Zoology.,  an inquiline.

verb (used with object)

1. to entertain as a guest.

verb (used without object)

1. to be a guest; make an appearance as a guest.

   She's been guesting on all the TV talk shows.

adjective

1. provided for or done by a guest.

   a guest towel; a guest column for a newspaper.

2. participating or performing as a guest.

   a guest conductor.

Guest

²

[gest]

noun

1. Edgar A(lbert), 1881–1959, U.S. journalist and writer of verse, born in England.

guest

/ ɡɛst /

noun

1. a person who is entertained, taken out to eat, etc, and paid for by another

2. 1. a person who receives hospitality at the home of another

      a weekend guest

   2. ( as modifier )

      the guest room

3. 1. a person who receives the hospitality of a government, establishment, or organization

   2. ( as modifier )

      a guest speaker

4. 1. an actor, contestant, entertainer, etc, taking part as a visitor in a programme in which there are also regular participants

   2. ( as modifier )

      a guest appearance

5. a patron of a hotel, boarding house, restaurant, etc

6. zoology a nontechnical name for inquiline

7. informal,  do as you like

verb

1. (intr) (in theatre and broadcasting) to be a guest

   to guest on a show

Other Word Forms

• guestless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of guest¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of guest¹

Old English giest guest, stranger, enemy; related to Old Norse gestr, Gothic gasts, Old High German gast, Old Slavonic gostǐ, Latin hostis enemy

Idioms and Phrases

see be my guest.

Synonym Study

See visitor.

Example Sentences

North Korea has held a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party, with high-level foreign guests in attendance, state media said Saturday.

Read more on Barron's

Berard is the perfect guest for the Rangers-obsessed host family, who have been to dozens of games together over the years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At a dinner on Fifth Avenue where Churchill was the guest of honor, Mitchell, trying to maintain his usual bonhomie, stood up and offered a toast: “To my fellow former millionaires.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I asked him if a guest worker program could succeed today.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"If you want to complain about the performance, be my guest, crack on. We're delighted with the three points."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• caller 
• client 
• companion 
• customer 
• inmate 
• patron 
• recipient 
• tenant 
• vacationer 
• visitor