guest
A1 (Most basic, highly frequent)Neutral to formal; common in all registers.
Definition
Meaning
A person who is invited to visit or stay in someone's home, attend an event, or appear in a performance.
A person who is receiving hospitality, services, or temporary access; a visitor to a hotel, restaurant, or establishment; a participant in an event or program who is not a regular member.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Implies an element of invitation or hospitality. The relationship is typically temporary and reciprocal to 'host'. Can imply a non-paying status in certain contexts (e.g., guest speaker).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. UK English might more readily use 'guest' for a visitor to a hotel ('hotel guest'), while US English also commonly uses 'customer' or 'patron' in that context, but 'guest' remains standard.
Connotations
Both varieties strongly associate 'guest' with hospitality, courtesy, and being welcomed.
Frequency
Equally frequent and used identically in core meanings.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
be + guest + at + event/locationbe + guest + of + person/organisationhave + guest + for + meal/periodinvite + (someone) + as + a guestVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Be my guest.”
- “Guest of honour”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Referring to a client at a hotel or a non-employee participating in a meeting (e.g., 'We have three guests from the partner company joining the call').
Academic
A visiting lecturer or researcher (e.g., 'The department is hosting a guest professor from Oxford this term').
Everyday
Someone visiting one's home or invited to a social event (e.g., 'We're having guests for dinner tonight').
Technical
In computing, a 'guest account' or 'guest user' has limited access permissions on a system or network.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He is scheduled to guest on the new panel show.
- The author guested on several radio programmes.
American English
- She guested on the late-night talk show.
- A famous chef will guest at the restaurant next month.
adverb
British English
- (Rarely used as a standalone adverb; typically part of compound like 'guest-hosted')
American English
- (Rarely used as a standalone adverb; typically part of compound like 'guest-starred')
adjective
British English
- They stayed in the guest bedroom.
- He gave a guest lecture at the university.
American English
- Please use the guest bathroom.
- She is the guest editor for this special issue.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We have a guest staying with us this weekend.
- There were ten guests at the birthday party.
- The hotel can accommodate up to 200 guests.
- She felt nervous about being a guest in a stranger's house.
- The distinguished guest will be giving a speech after dinner.
- As a guest columnist, he expressed controversial views.
- The software runs in a guest environment, isolated from the main operating system.
- His role morphed from critic to guest curator of the exhibition.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the word 'GUEST' as containing 'GU' (like 'guide' – someone you guide around) and 'EST' (like 'nest' – a temporary place to stay). A guest is guided to a temporary nest.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIAL INTERACTION IS HOSPITALITY; KNOWLEDGE/SERVICE IS A GIFT (e.g., 'guest lecture' implies knowledge offered freely to the audience).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation of 'гость' for 'customer' in shops (use 'customer'/'shopper').
- In Russian, 'гость' can imply a more formal visitor; in English, 'guest' covers both formal invitees and casual friends visiting.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'guest' for a professional client in a non-hospitality transaction (e.g., a lawyer's client).
- Incorrect: 'I am a guest in this restaurant' (correct: 'I am a customer/patron').
- Confusing 'host' and 'guest' roles.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the use of 'guest' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always. While often implying hospitality (non-paying), a 'hotel guest' or 'paying guest' does pay. The key is being a recipient of a service or hospitality, not the financial aspect.
A 'guest' is explicitly invited or welcomed (implying a host). A 'visitor' is more neutral, describing anyone who visits a place, invited or not (e.g., 'museum visitor'). All guests are visitors, but not all visitors are guests.
Yes, especially in media/entertainment (e.g., 'guest on a podcast') or hospitality (e.g., 'guest at a hotel'). It means to appear or stay as a guest.
It's a polite, slightly formal idiom giving someone permission to do something, equivalent to 'Please, go ahead' or 'Feel free'. (e.g., 'Can I use your phone?' – 'Be my guest.').