guest

UK: /ˈgɛst/ US: /gɛst/ ,(gest)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

guest /gɛst/   n. [countable]

1. a person who spends some time at another's home in a social activity, as a visit or party.
2. a person who enjoys the hospitality of a club, a city, a country, or the like.
3. a person who stays at or goes to a hotel, restaurant, etc.
4. Show Business an often well-known person invited to appear in a television or other program.

adj. [before a noun]

5. provided for a guest:
   a guest towel.
6. participating or performing as a guest:
   a guest conductor for the orchestra.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

guest  (gest), n. 

1. a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.
2. a person who receives the hospitality of a club, a city, or the like.
3. a person who patronizes a hotel, restaurant, etc., for the lodging, food, or entertainment it provides.
4. an often well-known person invited to participate or perform in a regular program, series, etc., as a substitute for a regular member or as a special attraction.
5. Zoology an inquiline.

v.t. 

6. to entertain as a guest.

v.i. 

7. to be a guest;
   make an appearance as a guest:
   She's been guesting on all the TV talk shows.

adj. 

8. provided for or done by a guest:
   a guest towel; a guest column for a newspaper.
9. participating or performing as a guest:
   a guest conductor.

• Old Norse gestr; replacing Old English gi(e)st; cognate with German Gast, Gothic gasts, Latin hostis; compare host¹, host²
• Middle English gest bef. 900

guest′less, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. company. See visitor. 

Guest  (gest), n. 

1. Biographical Edgar A(lbert), 1881–1959, U.S. journalist and writer of verse, born in England.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

guest / ɡɛst/ noun

1. a person who is entertained, taken out to eat, etc, and paid for by another
2. a person who receives hospitality at the home of another
3. (as modifier): the guest room
4. a person who receives the hospitality of a government, establishment, or organization
5. (as modifier): a guest speaker
6. an actor, contestant, entertainer, etc, taking part as a visitor in a programme in which there are also regular participants
7. (as modifier): a guest appearance
8. a patron of a hotel, boarding house, restaurant, etc
9. a nontechnical name for inquiline

verb

1. (intransitive) (in theatre and broadcasting) to be a guest: to guest on a show

Etymology: Old English giest guest, stranger, enemy; related to Old Norse gestr, Gothic gasts, Old High German gast, Old Slavonic gostǐ, Latin hostis enemy