hostess

[ hoh-stis ]

/ ˈhoʊ stɪs /

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.

RELATED WORDS

host, toastmistress

Nearby words

hostel school, hosteler, hosteller, hostelling, hostelry, hostess, hostess gown, hostie, hostile, hostile fire, hostile sexism

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The prince dropped his eye-glass and glanced toward his hostess.
The Hillman|E. Phillips Oppenheim
Should one be in doubt, the rule is to glance at the hostess and adopt her method, whatever that may be.
The Etiquette of To-day|Edith B. Ordway
Thereupon Madame Guerin, feeling she had "landed" him, dropped her pose as hostess and became a matrimonial agent.
Remarkable Rogues|Charles Kingston
A man and wife, if the hostess is sure beyond a doubt that they occupy similar quarters when at home.
Etiquette|Emily Post
No hostess would attempt such a thing, the belief being general that some one of the guests would die within a year.
As A Chinaman Saw Us|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for hostess

hostess

/ (ˈhəʊstɪs) /

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

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.