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

Etymology

Origin of hostess

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hostess hostesses

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

Later, at a post-match reception at the home of a wealthy local white family, the team lined up to meet the hostess.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

The 72-year-old said he had been hugely surprised to have his directorial debut, which stars his daughter Ella Bleu as an air hostess, accepted at the world's most prestigious film festival.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

At Auric Room 1915 in Montana, guests are required to dump their devices into an old nail box at the hostess stand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

“Unbelievable,” Fiona whispers as we finally follow the hostess to a table.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

“The program was started to bring the hostesses to work so that they wouldn’t show up in cars,” McKinney said.

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