guest
/ɡɛst
/noun
1A person who is invited to visit someone’s home or attend a particular social occasion: I have two guests coming to dinner tonight [as modifier]: the guest list...
- On special occasions or when guests are visiting, the Vietnamese serve rice wine, beer, soft drinks, or coffee.
- KT would sleep in the guest bedroom when she visited.
- On some occasions the guest lists have appeared wilfully eclectic.
Synonyms
visitor, caller;
company
archaic visitant
1.1A person invited to participate in an official event: he was in Warsaw as a guest of the Polish government [as modifier]: a guest speaker...
- A talented trio of sisters making a name for themselves in the world of animation are among the guest speakers at an event aimed at firing the imagination of young would-be entrepreneurs.
- Former Leeds United legend Norman Hunter is the guest speaker at the event, with tickets priced at £32.
- A guest speaker at each event will deliver multi-disciplinary, non-technical presentations.
1.2A person invited to take part in a radio or television programme or other entertainment: a regular guest on the morning show...
- He recently completed a 60-date UK stage tour, and is a regular guest on radio and television.
- It also offers an easily accessible interview facility for radio and television guests.
- In addition to writing on the subject of school choice, Merrifield is a frequent guest on television and radio programs in which the issue is discussed and debated.
2A person staying at a hotel or guest house: a reduction for guests staying seven nights or more...
- A surge in the number of foreign guests staying in Japanese hotels has pushed up occupancy rates at leading hotels and bolstered their bottom lines.
- No apartments were available and most hotels permitted a guest to stay only 5 days.
- However, he had infected his brother-in-law, two nurses in the hospital, and seven guests who had stayed on the same floor of the hotel.
Synonyms
patron, client, person staying;
boarder, lodger, resident, tenant, paying guest, PG;
North American roomer
2.1chiefly US A customer at a restaurant.It will cover pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage to hotel and restaurant guests, customers and visitors....
- And then I thought, but the true stars are this restaurant's fine guests - you, mes amis.
- Most restaurants cater to guests, but the idea of making sure employees are happy, too, is a rather unique concept.
3 Entomology A small invertebrate that lives unharmed within an ants' nest.All ant guests have to avoid being eaten by their hosts....
- That diversity and beauty has fueled Rettenmeyer's lifelong passion for army ant guests.
- Usually you can sit beside the trails of army ants and watch for guests as the line goes by.
verb [no object] informal
Appear as a temporary or visiting performer or participant in a television or radio programme or other entertainment: he guested on the show two weeks ago...
- His first break came when he guested on the popular Radio Eireann programme ‘Ceili House’ many years ago.
- As well as his impending appearance on BBC television he will also be guesting on BBC Radio Ulster for a week, presenting one of their regular music and chat shows.
- Tomorrow, I shall be mostly guesting on the B3ta radio show on Resonance FM in the London area, with a large folder containing various tales of mirth and woe for anyone foolish enough to be listening.
Phrases
be my guest
guest of honour
Origin
Middle English: from Old Norse gestr, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch gast and German Gast, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin hostis 'enemy' (originally 'stranger').
Rhymes
- radio network
- radionic
- radionically
- radionics
- radio noise
- radionuclide
- radio observatory
- radio-opaque
- radiopacity
- radio pager
- radio paging
- radiopaque
- radio-pasteurization
- radio-pasteurized
- radiophare
- radiopharmaceutical
- radiopharmacist
- radiopharmacological
- radiopharmacologist
- radiopharmacology
- radiopharmacy
- radiophobia
- murphy
- Murphy, Audie
- Murphy button