Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

guest

play
noun \ˈgest\

Definition of guest

  1. 1a :  a person entertained in one's houseb :  a person to whom hospitality is extendedc :  a person who pays for the services of an establishment (such as a hotel or restaurant)

  2. 2 :  an organism (such as an insect) sharing the dwelling of another; especially :  inquiline

  3. 3 :  a substance that is incorporated in a host substance

  4. 4 :  a usually prominent person not a regular member of a cast or organization who appears in a program or performance

See guest defined for English-language learners

See guest defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?
istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
image599301899
Pretty in 'Pink'
alt-594ab41a604d2
Trending: Kim and Kanye Might Have Hired a Surrogate Mother

Examples of guest in a Sentence

  1. Our guests should be arriving soon.

  2. Only invited guests are allowed inside the banquet hall.

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

  4. Our guests receive the finest quality service.

  5. Frequent guests receive a discount.

Origin and Etymology of guest

Middle English gest, from Old Norse gestr; akin to Old English giest guest, stranger, Latin hostis stranger, enemy


First Known Use: 13th century

guest Synonyms

Synonyms
caller, drop-in, frequenter, visitant, visitor
Related Words
houseguest; company; invitee; crasher, hanger-on
Near Antonyms
denizen, dweller, habitant, inhabitant, occupant, resident, resider; cohost, cohostess, host, hostess
2

guest

verb

Definition of guest

  1. transitive verb

  2. :  to receive as a guest

  3. intransitive verb

  4. :  to appear as a guest

14th Century

First Known Use of guest

14th century

Guest

play
biographical name \ˈgest\

Definition of Guest

  1. Edgar Albert 1881–1959 American journalist and poet

Phrases Related to GUEST

Related Phrases

GUEST Defined for English Language Learners

guest

play
noun

Definition of guest for English Language Learners

  • : a person who is invited to visit or stay in someone's home

  • : a person who is invited to a place or an event as a special honor

  • : a customer at a hotel, restaurant, etc.

GUEST Defined for Kids

guest

play
noun \ˈgest\

Definition of guest for Students

  1. 1 :  a person invited to visit or stay in someone's home

  2. 2 :  a person invited to a special place or event a wedding guest

  3. 3 :  a customer at a hotel, motel, inn, or restaurant

Learn More about guest

  1. See words that rhyme with guest Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for guest Spanish Central: Translation of guest Nglish: Translation of guest for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of guest for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up guest? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

volplane

play

to glide in or as if in an airplane

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

guest

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength

Do you take pride in Pride?

image599301899
Pink: The Color that Will Change Your Life

From Fuchsia to Baker-Miller Pink

image2144101468
That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Dictionary Devil
Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

Play the game
Examples: guest in a Sentence