hostess

noun

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host·ess | \ ˈhō-stəs

Definition of hostess

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a woman who entertains socially

2a : a woman in charge of a public dining room who seats diners

b : a female employee on a public conveyance (such as an airplane) who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers

c : a woman who acts as a partner or companion to male patrons in a dance hall or bar

hostess

verb

hostessed; hostessing; hostesses

Definition of hostess (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to act as hostess

transitive verb

: to serve as hostess to

Examples of hostess in a Sentence

Noun We were greeted by our hostess. She's the hostess of a popular talk show.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Here's a secret that a Southern hostess might be uninclined to admit: Boxed cake can be great. — Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, "How To Frost a Cake like a Professional," 18 Mar. 2021 Kitselman was born in 1926 in Ohio, working in a factory to pay for college before being named runner-up in a Miss Ohio contest and embarking on a career as an airline hostess. — Washington Post, "She died of coronavirus at 94, but a commitment to community service lives on," 17 Mar. 2021 Virginia Ramirez, a hostess at Belgian Waffle Works in Lake Arrowhead, said the dining room of the popular family restaurant was slammed Sunday morning. — Los Angeles Times, "Welcome back: Restaurants, movie theaters, gyms reopen in L.A. County today," 15 Mar. 2021 For one restaurant along Daytona Beach's Main Street, Cruisin Cafe, business has already doubled this week, hostess Teresa Herzberg told ABC News on Tuesday. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, "Hurting Daytona Beach businesses glad to see thousands gather for Bike Week," 9 Mar. 2021 Ro Hart, an assistant general manager and hostess at Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco, said the return of indoor dining in the city provoked a mixture of joy and anxiety. — CBS News, "Workers worry for their safety as more states lift mask mandates," 8 Mar. 2021 Restaurant hostess Veronica Singh said the restaurant would open four indoor tables on Thursday and allow 12 diners to sit at them. — Steve Rubenstein, San Francisco Chronicle, "The view from inside: What S.F.'s first day in the red tier looked like," 3 Mar. 2021 After graduating from Parsons School of Design in New York in 2005, Adeigbo worked as a fashion assistant at W Magazine by day and as a hostess at night. — Lindzi Scharf, Los Angeles Times, "She dresses Amanda Gorman and Kerry Washington. Here’s how Autumn Adeigbo styles herself," 17 Mar. 2021 Rather than purchasing expensive vessels to hold the arrangements, the hostess encourages friends to bring their own Easter baskets. — Betsy Cribb, Southern Living, "An Easter Gathering in the Garden," 16 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hostess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for hostess

Noun

Middle English hostesse, ostesse "woman who receives guests, female innkeeper," borrowed from Anglo-French, from oste, hoste "host, guest" + -esse -ess — more at host entry 3

Verb

derivative of hostess entry 1

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