guest

1 of 2

noun

ˈgest 

1

a

: a person entertained in one's house

b

: a person to whom hospitality or special honor is extended

The pool is for the use of members and guests.

c

: a person who pays for the services of an establishment (such as a hotel or restaurant)

2

: an organism (such as an insect) sharing the dwelling of another

especially : inquiline

3

: a substance that is incorporated in a host substance

4

: a usually prominent person not a regular member of a cast or organization who appears in a program or performance

—often used before another noun

a guest star/speaker

a guest appearance

guest

2 of 2

verb

guested; guesting; guests

transitive verb

: to receive as a guest

intransitive verb

: to appear as a guest

Synonyms of guest

Noun

• visitor

Examples of guest in a Sentence

Noun

Our guests should be arriving soon.

Only invited guests are allowed inside the banquet hall.

He played at the country club as a guest of one of the members.

Our guests receive the finest quality service.

Frequent guests receive a discount.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

However, there are golf buggies to zip guests around with ease. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Mar. 2026

The property looks out toward Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, and guests of the villa enjoy amenities that include two swimming pools, a private sauna, and plenty of outdoor space. —Angela Tafoya, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026

Verb

At Kakō and Saki, guests feast on seasonal Japanese ingredients highlighting traditional and modern techniques. —Lois Alter Mark, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026

With 2,800 square feet of real estate, Poulette Bakeshop will roughly double its footprint, making way for not only upgraded equipment that will bolster production of its signature pastries and confections, but also guest seating that allows patrons to linger, said co-owner Carolyn Nugent. —Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gest, gyst, gust, gist "person to whom hospitality is extended, visitor, stranger," going back to Old English giest, gyst, gest, gæst (with Middle English g probably in part from Old Norse gestr), going back to Germanic *gasti- (whence also Old Frisian jest "guest," Old Saxon & Old High German gast "guest, stranger," Old Norse gestr, Gothic gasts "stranger") going back to dialectal Indo-European *ghost-i- "outsider, guest," whence also Old Church Slavic gostĭ "guest," Latin hostis "foreigner, stranger" (in early use), "enemy"

Note: An etymon limited to three western Indo-European branches. Further analysis of the word has been made on the basis of early use of Latin hostis, taken to mean, on the basis of the Law of the Twelve Tables, "outsider due the same right of ownership as a Roman citizen"; from the same base would be hostus "yield of olive oil from a single pressing" (narrowed from a presumed more general "yield, compensation"), the derived verb hostīre "to recompense, requite," and the noun hostia "sacrificial animal, sacrifice" ("recompense to the gods," perhaps originally feminine of an adjective *hostius, the deleted noun having designated an animal; see host entry 3). Ancestral *ghos-ti- could hypothetically be a derivative of an Indo-European verbal base *ǵhes- "take, give in exchange." With the loss in later Roman practice of the strict legal meaning, Latin hostis became restricted in meaning to "hostile outsider, enemy." This shift is noted by varro, who remarked that hostis was used by "our ancestors" in a sense now covered by peregrīnus (see pilgrim).

Verb

Middle English gesten, derivative of gest guest entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing guest

• be my guest
• guest appearance
• guest bedroom
• guest book
• guest list
• guest of honor
• guest room
• guest speaker
• guest worker
• paying guest

Rhymes for guest

• blessed
• blest
• breast
• chest
• crest
• dressed
• fest
• gest
• geste
• guessed
• jest
• lest

Kids Definition

guest

noun

ˈgest

1

: a person entertained in one's house

2

: a person to whom hospitality is given

guests at a school banquet

3

: a customer at a hotel, motel, inn, or restaurant

4

: a usually well-known person who appears or performs on a program (as a TV show) by invitation

Biographical Definition

Guest

biographical name

ˈgest 

Edgar Albert 1881–1959 American journalist and poet