visitor
Americannoun
noun
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a person who pays a visit; caller, guest, tourist, etc
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another name for visitant
Synonym Usage
Visitor, caller, guest, visitant are terms for a person who comes to spend time with or stay with others, or in a place. A visitor often stays some time, for social pleasure, for business, sightseeing, etc.: a visitor at our neighbor's house. A caller comes for a brief (usually) formal visit: The caller merely left her card. A guest is anyone receiving hospitality, and the word has been extended to include anyone who pays for meals and lodging: a welcome guest; a hotel guest. Visitant applies especially to a migratory bird or to a supernatural being: a warbler as a visitant.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of visitor
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English visitour, from Anglo-French; Old French visiteor, from Late Latin vīsitātor, equivalent to Latin vīsitā(re) “to go to see, visit” ( see visit) + -tor -tor
Explanation
A visitor is someone who is in a place temporarily. If you spend a week on an island during the summer, you're a visitor there, unlike the people who live on the island year-round. When you visit someone, you're a visitor in their home, and if someone visits your school, whether to put on a puppet show or a book fair or a presentation about safety, they're a visitor too. It's also common to refer to an opposing sports team as visitors when they come to play on your team's home turf — but when your team travels for an away game, you're the visitors.
Vocabulary lists containing visitor
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:
Barton, whose company runs a visitor center in downtown Groveland, said there’s not much she and her team can recommend for people coming Thursday through Sunday into the park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
By the end of June, Yosemite had seen at least 183,000 more visitors than last year, according to preliminary park visitor data.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Chester Zoo is hosting a summit to try and tackle misleading weather apps costing it up to £137,000 per day in lost visitor income.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
When Jill Parrett showed up around midnight on a recent Wednesday, she was visitor number 3,744 of the day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Your visitor is here, Your Grace,” she said with a bow.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
How developed Yosemite should be for its visitors has been a debate since the park’s existence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Even sacred sites — with signage directing visitors away from the area — have been trampled by crowds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Brombil Reservoir in Margam, Neath Port Talbot, attracted thousands of visitors after going viral on TikTok, which caused traffic problems and littering in the area.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
ANAHEIM, Calif.—Walt Disney designed Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. to transport visitors out of the modern world into a family-friendly fantasy packed with old-fashioned storefronts and barbershop quartets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Bravo, one and all!” the headmistress exclaimed as she beckoned her visitors inside.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
