hostess
Americannoun
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a woman who receives and entertains guests in her own home or elsewhere.
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a woman employed in a restaurant or place of amusement to receive, seat, or assist patrons.
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a woman who acts as master of ceremonies, moderator, or interviewer for a television or radio program; host.
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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.
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a woman who manages a resort or hotel or who directs its social activities.
verb (used with object)
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to be the hostess at (a reception, dinner, etc.).
She will hostess a shower for the new bride.
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to act as hostess at, to, or for.
She volunteered to hostess the garden club next season.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a woman acting as host
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a woman who receives and entertains patrons of a club, restaurant, etc
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See air hostess
Gender
See -ess.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hostess
1250–1300; Middle English ( h ) ostesse < Old French. See host 1, -ess
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.
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
Susan Nasser works as a hostess, welcoming shoppers at the luxury Bicester Village outlet shopping centre and helping them find their way around.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
The hostess usually puts on a nice spread: dips, fresh bread, cuts of ham and beef, Christmas tree-shaped chips with hummus and salsa cruda, mince pies, chocolate squares, etc.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025
Nigella Lawson, a television hostess and food writer, told reporters she had paid Gyngell to help her develop and test recipes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
It was for a hostess position, and she wore her nice shirt, smiled warmly, shook hands firmly.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
