guest
guest Lexical Profile
guest Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who is invited to visit someone's home or attend a particular social occasion, event, or meal at the expense of the host.
"We prepared the spare bedroom for our weekend guest."
A paying customer who stays at a hotel, inn, or boarding house, or who dines at a restaurant.
"Hotel guests have complimentary access to the swimming pool and fitness center."
An outside performer, speaker, or expert invited to appear on a television or radio program, or to participate in a concert, lecture, or special event.
"The talk show featured a renowned historian as its special guest."
• verb
To appear as an invited performer, speaker, or participant on a broadcast program, recording, or stage production.
"The jazz saxophonist guested on the band's latest studio album."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'guest' (a visitor) with the homophone 'guessed' (the past tense of the verb 'guess').
• Rhymes for guest
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'gest', derived from Old Norse 'gestr' (influence that preserved the hard 'g' sound) and Old English 'gæst' or 'giest', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*ghos-ti-' meaning 'stranger', 'guest', or 'host', which also yielded the Latin 'hostis' (enemy) and 'hospes' (host).