hostess

[hoh-stis]

See more synonyms for hostess on Thesaurus.com

noun

a woman who receives and entertains guests in her own home or elsewhere.
a woman employed in a restaurant or place of amusement to receive, seat, or assist patrons.
a woman who acts as master of ceremonies, moderator, or interviewer for a television or radio program; host.

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.
a woman who manages a resort or hotel or who directs its social activities.
taxi dancer.

verb (used with object)

to be the hostess at (a reception, dinner, etc.): She will hostess a shower for the new bride.
to act as hostess at, to, or for: She volunteered to hostess the garden club next season.

verb (used without object)

to perform the duties or functions of a hostess.

Origin of hostess

1250–1300; Middle English (h)ostesse < Old French. See host¹, -ess

Related formshost·ess-ship, noun

Usage note

See -ess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for hostess

host, toastmistress

Examples from the Web for hostess

Contemporary Examples of hostess

Why, then, does working in one almost guarantee a waitress, hostess, or bartender will be at the receiving end of such harassment?
Waitressing Is One of the Worst Jobs for Sexual Harassment
Brandy Zadrozny
October 8, 2014
At the end of the evening, the hostess departed at the same time as her guests, leaving the caterers to clean up the mess.
London’s Oligarch Ghost Town
Tom Sykes
June 16, 2014
Their phones do work, and are operated by a disarmingly well-mannered host or hostess.
Inside London’s Hottest Celebrity Haunt—But How Long Will Chiltern Firehouse Burn?
Lizzie Crocker
June 9, 2014
Q: What is the traditional gift to bring the hostess of a Super Bowl party?
Your Super Bowl Etiquette Guide From Food to Clothes to What Not to Say
Kelly Williams Brown
February 1, 2014
Still, it's no surprise Walmart was among the first recipients, since the retailer is Hostess' largest single customer.
Want Your Twinkies Rush Earlier? Head to Wal-Mart
CNBC
July 12, 2013

Historical Examples of hostess

So the hostess had decreed, and so instructed Alfred and Gracie.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
"I want to go," she said at last, in answer to her hostess' pleading.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
Thus doubtless our hostess reasoned, and in all probability she was right.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
It was my fortune to be well known to Madame Van Rensselaer, our hostess.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
They went in this much by the face and voice of the host or hostess.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for hostess

hostess

noun

a woman acting as host
a woman who receives and entertains patrons of a club, restaurant, etc
See air hostess

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

Word Origin and History for hostess

late 13c., "woman who keeps an inn or public hotel," from host (n.1) + -ess, or from Old French hostesse (Modern French hôtesse). Meaning "woman who presides at a dinner party, etc." recorded by 1822. Also used mid-20c. in sense "female who entertains customers in nightclubs," with overtones of prostitution.