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Synonyms

guest

1 American  
[gest] / gɛst /

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 American  
[gest] / gɛst /

noun

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

guest British  
/ ɡɛst /

noun

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

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

      a weekend guest

    2. ( as modifier )

      the guest room

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

    2. ( as modifier )

      a guest speaker

    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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

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

    to guest on a show
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
guest Idioms  

  1. see be my guest.

Related Words

See visitor.

Other Word Forms

  • guestless adjective

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

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.

Macron notably made Trump the guest of Bastille Day celebrations in 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Related: ‘This guy has no manners’: My Airbnb guest requested I buy bacon and beer.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Back in fall 2004, Simpson, who’s now 41, was about to do her second song as the musical guest on “SNL.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

The project aims to build a technology foundation that allows the company to continue to scale deliver a better guest experience and drive frequency, said CEO Rob Lynch.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

If I narrow the options to five or ten places, I can call each one and ask for a guest named Julie Callahan.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.