receptionist
Americannoun
-
receptionists
plural
-
a person employed to receive and assist callers, clients, etc., as in an office.
-
Theology. a person who advocates receptionism.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of receptionist
Explanation
If you work as a receptionist in an office, you'll greet visitors and answer the phone. The receptionist in a dentist's office is usually the person to schedule your next appointment. Most offices have a receptionist, a type of secretary who's typically the first person you see when you walk into the room. Hotels often describe this person as a "desk clerk," but this is essentially a receptionist who books reservations and hands you your room key when you check in. The word receptionist dates from about 1900, when the earliest receptionists were hired to work in photography studios.
Vocabulary lists containing receptionist
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ist
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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.
See Examples For:
A man tricking a hospital receptionist is not exactly a criminal mastermind.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
“I have a cameo with my ex-wife in it. Lorenza. She’s the receptionist and I appear dancing in Chapala, but I’m super thin, so you can never recognize me,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
I told the receptionist at the front desk where I was going, and she said she felt guilty that she couldn’t be there herself, because of her evening shift.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
“My heart dropped in my stomach,” says Allyson, a medical receptionist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
The receptionist glares at me from the doorway.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Some told the BBC they were working as receptionists or administrators because the number of advertised posts did not match the numbers being trained.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
She posed as a courier, telling the receptionists that the script was requested by an executive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
Though hammam associations have yet to publish statistics on layoffs or lost revenue, they have warned about the effect on owners, chimney technicians and receptionists.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
There will be smarter cars, bipedal warehouse androids, roving grocery bots removing unscanned items from bagging areas, and torso-up AI designed to look like seated female receptionists.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2024
He points toward the receptionists desk and chuckles.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
