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
Seedfolks
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Unit 4, Words to Know
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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:
Davis, the daughter of comedian Jasper Carrott, starred as the office receptionist in the groundbreaking sitcom, which ran from 2001 to 2003.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The receptionist gently explained the delay: There was one less bus running due to an incident involving a run-over iguana.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Ben Wang, as an eager young receptionist at a talent agency who steals information to help Gail, doesn’t really nail the part.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
I work as a driver and receptionist for a nonprofit, and I’m actually earning more each week than I ever have before.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Buonasera," the receptionist said, “what can I do for you?"
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
She posed as a courier, telling the receptionists that the script was requested by an executive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
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
Such "welfare jobs," as they are known in China, include roles as receptionists, office administrators, security guards and community workers.
From Reuters ● Nov. 14, 2023
"In the last six months I've lost three receptionists, and I'm one of the lucky ones compared to my colleague practices, they've lost a lot more."
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2023
He remembered that he had to change shoes and retreated to a comer of the lobby, out of sight of receptionists and guards, to sit on the floor and pull on Eric’s brown Oxfords.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
