guest

¹

[ gest ]

noun

1. a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.

   Synonyms: company

2. a person who receives the hospitality of a club, a city, or the like.
3. a person who patronizes a hotel, restaurant, etc., for the lodging, food, or entertainment it provides.
4. an often well-known person invited to participate or perform in a regular program, series, etc., as a substitute for a regular member or as a special attraction.
5. Zoology. an inquiline.

verb (used with object)

1. to entertain as a guest.

verb (used without object)

1. to be a guest; make an appearance as a guest:

   She's been guesting on all the TV talk shows.

adjective

1. provided for or done by a guest:

   a guest towel; a guest column for a newspaper.

2. participating or performing as a guest:

   a guest conductor.

Guest

²

[ gest ]

noun

1. Edgar A(lbert), 1881–1959, U.S. journalist and writer of verse, born in England.

guest

/ ɡɛst /

noun

1. a person who is entertained, taken out to eat, etc, and paid for by another
2. 1. a person who receives hospitality at the home of another

      a weekend guest

   2. ( as modifier )

      the guest room

3. 1. a person who receives the hospitality of a government, establishment, or organization
   2. ( as modifier )

      a guest speaker

4. 1. an actor, contestant, entertainer, etc, taking part as a visitor in a programme in which there are also regular participants
   2. ( as modifier )

      a guest appearance

5. a patron of a hotel, boarding house, restaurant, etc
6. zoology a nontechnical name for inquiline
7. be my guest informal.
   do as you like

verb

1. intr (in theatre and broadcasting) to be a guest

   to guest on a show

Other Words From

• guestless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of guest¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English gest, from Old Norse gestr; replacing Old English gi(e)st; cognate with German Gast, Gothic gasts, Latin hostis; host ¹, host ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of guest¹

Old English giest guest, stranger, enemy; related to Old Norse gestr, Gothic gasts, Old High German gast, Old Slavonic gostǐ, Latin hostis enemy

Idioms and Phrases

see be my guest .

Synonym Study

See visitor.

Example Sentences

And then I met him before I started doing the impression of him when he was a guest on SNL for a moment.

From The Daily Beast

Al Qaeda has never managed to carve out a large chunk of real estate to call its own—in Afghanistan it was a guest of the Taliban.

From The Daily Beast

Despite an impressive celebrity guest-list and the extraordinary garments on show, the event failed to make newspaper front pages.

From The Daily Beast

That explains the impressive roster of guest stars the series has racked up of politicians playing themselves.

From The Daily Beast

Rachel Maddow, too, apparently impresses in her upcoming season two guest turn.

From The Daily Beast

I never dare venture over except as the guest of some more fortunate friend.

From Project Gutenberg

Not a week passed which did not find the former, once, twice, or three times a guest at the proud man's table.

From Project Gutenberg

When Stanhope entered to him, he found his guest lying on a sofa, in a high state of fever, both from his wounds and agitation.

From Project Gutenberg

In such a case, he may go to the house of the noble Spaniard who was his uncle's guest at Lindisfarne.

From Project Gutenberg

Certainly, my son; it is always proper to offer food to a guest who takes refuge under our roof.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• caller
• client
• companion
• customer
• inmate
• patron
• recipient
• tenant
• vacationer
• visitor