guest

See also: Guest

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

guest

Etymology

From Middle English gest, from Old Norse gestr, which replaced or was merged with Old English ġiest, both from Proto-Germanic *gastiz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis (“stranger, guest, host, someone with whom one has reciprocal duties of hospitality”). Doublet of host, from Latin.

Cognates

West-Germanic:

Bavarian Gåst (“guest”)
Dutch gast (“guest”)
German Gast (“guest”)
Luxembourgish Gaascht (“guest”)
Vilamovian gost (“guest”)
Yiddish גאַסט (gast, “guest”)

North-Germanic:

Danish gæst (“guest, visitor”)
Faroese and Icelandic gestur (“guest”)
Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk gjest (“guest”)
Swedish gäst (“guest”)

East-Germanic:

Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (gasts, “guest”)

Pronunciation

enPR: gĕst, IPA^(key): /ɡɛst/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -ɛst
Homophone: guessed

Noun

guest (plural guests)

A recipient of hospitality, especially someone staying by invitation at the house of another.
The guests were let in by the butler.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
  We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.
A patron or customer in a hotel etc.
Guests must vacate their rooms by 10 o'clock on their day of departure.
An invited visitor or performer to an institution or to a broadcast.
special guest

The guest for the broadcast was a leading footballer.
(computing) A user given temporary access to a system despite not having an account of their own.
(zoology) Any insect that lives in the nest of another without compulsion and usually not as a parasite.
(zoology) An inquiline.

Descendants

→ Japanese: ゲスト (gesuto)
→ Korean: 게스트 (geseuteu)
⇒ Tok Pisin: ges
→ Swahili: gesti

Translations

recipient of hospitality

Afrikaans: gas (af)
Ahom: 𑜁𑜢𑜀𑜫 (khik)
Ainu: sinewe kur
Albanian: mnor mysafir (sq) m, vizitor (sq) m
Altai:
Northern Altai: айылджы (ayïldžï), конак (konak)

Southern Altai: конок (konok)
Amharic: እንግዳ (ʾəngəda)
Arabic: ضَيْف m or f (ḍayf), زَائِر m (zāʔir)
Egyptian Arabic: ضيف m (ḍēf)

Moroccan Arabic: ضِيف m (ḍif)
Aragonese: huesped
Armenian: հյուր (hy) (hyur)
Aromanian: oaspe, musafir
Assamese: আলহী (alohi)
Asturian: güéspede m, güéspeda f
Azerbaijani: qonaq (az), müsafir, mehman
Baluchi: مہمان (mihmán), میمان (memán)
Bashkir: ҡунаҡ (qonaq)
Basque: ostalari
Bats: ჰ̡აშ (h̡aš), ჰ̡აშე̆ (h̡ašĕ)
Belarusian: госць m (hoscʹ), го́сця f (hóscja)
Bengali: অতিথি (bn) (otithi), মেহমান (bn) (mehman)
Bhojpuri: मेहमान (mēhᵊmān)
Bulgarian: гост (bg) m (gost), го́стенка f (góstenka)
Burmese: ဧည့်သည် (my) (e-ny.sany), ဧည့် (my) (e-ny.)
Catalan: convidat (ca) m, hoste (ca) m
Cebuano: bisita
Chechen: хьеша (ḥʳeša)
Chichewa: mlendo
Chinese:
Cantonese: 人客 (jan⁴ haak³), 客人 (haak³ jan⁴)

Dungan: кижын (kiřɨn)

Eastern Min: 人客 (nè̤ng-káh)

Gan: 人客 (nyin⁴ kah⁶)

Hokkien: 人客 (zh-min-nan) (lâng-kheh, lâng-kheeh)

Jin: 客人 (kah⁴ reng¹ / qieh⁴ reng¹)

Mandarin: 客人 (zh) (kèrén), 來賓 / 来宾 (zh) (láibīn), 來客 / 来客 (zh) (láikè)

Wu: 客人

Xiang: 人客 (zhen² ke⁶)
Chittagonian: গরবা (gorba)
Chukchi: рэмкыԓьын (rėmkyḷʹyn)
Circassian:
East Circassian: хьащӏэ (ḥaśʼɛ), хьэщӏэ (kbd) (ḥɛśʼɛ)

West Circassian: хьакӏэ (ḥakʼɛ)
Comorian:
Ngazidja Comorian: mdjeni class 1/2
Czech: host (cs) m, hostka (cs) f
Danish: gæst (da) c
Dutch: gast (nl) m
Erzya: инже (inže)
Esperanto: gasto
Estonian: külaline (et)
Faroese: gestur m
Finnish: vieras (fi)
French: invité (fr) m, invitée (fr) f, hôte (fr) m or f
Friulian: forest, ospit
Galician: hóspede (gl) m or f, convidado (gl)
Georgian: სტუმარი (sṭumari)
German: Gast (de) m
Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (gasts)
Greek: επισκέπτης (el) m (episképtis)
Ancient Greek: δαιτυμών m (daitumṓn)
Gujarati: અતિથિ (atithi)
Hebrew: אוֹרֵחַ (he) m (oréakh)
Hindi: मेहमान (hi) m (mehmān), अतिथि (hi) m (atithi)
Hungarian: vendég (hu)
Icelandic: gestur (is) m
Indonesian: tamu (id)
Ingrian: veeras
Ingush: хьаьаша (ḥʳäaša)
Isan: please add this translation if you can
Italian: ospite (it) m or f, invitato (it) m, convitato (it) m
Japanese: 客人 (ja) (きゃくじん, kyakujin), 客 (ja) (きゃく, kyaku), (honorific) お客さん (ja) (おきゃくさん, o-kyaku-san), 来客 (ja) (らいきゃく, raikyaku), 来賓 (ja) (らいひん, raihin)
Javanese: tamu
Kaitag: аха́л (aꭓál)
Kashubian: gòsc m
Kashmiri: پۆژھ (poċh)
Kazakh: қонақ (qonaq), мейман (meyman)
Khmer: ភ្ញៀវ (km) (phñiəw), អតិថិ (km) (ʼaʼtetheʼ), អាវេសិក (km) (ʼaaveisək)
Korean: 손님 (ko) (sonnim), 하객(賀客) (ko) (hagaek), 내빈(來賓) (ko) (naebin), 래빈(來賓) (ko) (raebin) (North Korea), 방문객(訪問客) (ko) (bangmun'gaek)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: میوان (mîwan)

Northern Kurdish: mêvan (ku)
Kyrgyz: конок (ky) (konok), мейман (meyman)
Laboya: kulla
Ladino: musafir, invitado
Lao: ແຂກ (lo) (khǣk)
Latgalian: gosts
Latin: hostis (la) c, hospes (la) m
Latvian: viesis m, ciemiņš m
Lithuanian: svečias m
Lü: ᦶᦃᧅᧈ (ẋaek¹), ᦖᦱᧃ (ṁaan)
Macedonian: гостин m (gostin), гостинка f (gostinka), гост m (gost)
Malay: tetamu
Maltese: mistieden m
Manchu: ᠠᠨᡨᠠᡥᠠ (antaha)
Mandar: toana
Māori: manuhiri
Marathi: पाहुणा m (pāhuṇā), पाहुणी f (pāhuṇī)
Moksha: инжи (inži)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: зочин (mn) (zočin)

Mongolian script: ᠵᠣᠴᠢᠨ (ǰočin)
Nivkh: антӽ (antẋ)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: gjest (no) m
Occitan: convidat m, òste (oc) m
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: гость m (gostĭ)

Glagolitic: ⰳⱁⱄⱅⱐ m (gostĭ)
Old East Slavic: гость m (gostĭ)
Old English: ġiest m, cuma m
Old Norse: gestr m
Oromo: keessummaa
Ossetian: уазӕг (wazæg)
Pali: atithi m
Pannonian Rusyn: госц m (hosc), госцинска f (hoscinska)
Pashto: مېلمه (ps) m (melmá), رابللی m (rābalálay)
Pela: paŋ³⁵, paŋ³¹ va⁵⁵
Persian:
Dari: مِهْمَان (mihmān)

Iranian Persian: مِهْمان (mehmân)
Plautdietsch: Gaust m
Polabian: ďüst m
Polish: gość (pl) m (male or female), gościni (pl) f
Portuguese: hóspede (pt) m or f, convidado (pt) m
Romanian: oaspete (ro) m, musafir (ro) m, musafiră (ro) f
Romansh: giast, hosp
Russian: гость (ru) m (gostʹ), го́стья (ru) f (góstʹja)
Sami:
Northern Sami: guossi
Sanskrit: अतिथि (sa) m (atithi)
Sardinian: cumbidàu
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: го̑ст m, го̀шћа f

Latin: gȏst (sh) m, gòšća f
Shan: ၶႅၵ်ႇ (shn) (khèk)
Sidamo: wosina
Slovak: hosť m, hostka f
Slovene: gost (sl) m, gošća f, gostja f
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: gósć m

Upper Sorbian: hósć m
Spanish: huésped (es) m or f, visita (es) f, visitante (es) m or f, convidado (es) m, comensal (es) m or f
Svan: მუშგვრი (mušgvri)
Swahili: mgeni (sw) class m-wa
Swedish: gäst (sv) c
Sylheti: ꠇꠥꠐꠥꠝ (kuṭum)
Tagalog: bisita (tl)
Tajik: меҳмон (tg) (mehmon)
Tarifit: anewji m
Tatar: кунак (tt) (qunaq)
Telugu: అతిథి (te) (atithi)
Thai: แขก (th) (kɛ̀ɛk)
Tibetan: མགྲོན་པོ (mgron po)
Tigrinya: ጋሻ (gaša)
Turkish: konuk (tr), misafir (tr), mihman
Turkmen: myhman
Tuvan: аалчы (aalçı)
Ukrainian: гість m (histʹ), го́стя f (hóstja)
Urdu: مِہْمان m (mihmān)
Uyghur: مېھمان (mëhman)
Uzbek: mehmon (uz)
Vietnamese: khách (vi) (客 (vi))
Volapük: lotan (vo)
Walloon: priyî (wa) m, invité (wa) m
Wolaytta: imattaa
Wolof: gan (wo)
Yiddish: גאַסט m (gast)
Zande: gino
Zazaki: meyman (diq) du
Zhuang: bouxhek, hek

patron, customer

Afrikaans: gas (af), klant (af), klient
Arabic: زَبُون m (zabūn)
Armenian: հաճախորդ (hy) (hačaxord)
Basque: ostalari
Bulgarian: посети́тел (bg) m (posetítel), клие́нт (bg) m (kliént)
Catalan: hoste (ca) m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 顧客 / 顾客 (gu³ haak³)

Mandarin: 顧客 / 顾客 (zh) (gùkè)
Czech: host (cs) m
Danish: gæst (da) c
Dutch: gast (nl) m
Faroese: gestur m
Finnish: asiakas (fi), vieras (fi)
French: client (fr) m, cliente (fr) f
Galician: hóspede (gl) m or f
German: Gast (de) m
Greek: πελάτης (el) m (pelátis)
Hebrew: אוֹרֵחַ (he) m (oréakh)
Icelandic: gestur (is) m
Italian: cliente (it) m or f, ospite (it) m or f
Japanese: 客 (ja) (きゃく, kyaku), (honorific) お客さん (ja) (おきゃくさん, o-kyaku-san), 顧客 (ja) (こきゃく, kokyaku)
Korean: 손님 (ko) (sonnim), 고객(顧客) (ko) (gogaek)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: میوان (mîwan)
Macedonian: го́стин m (góstin)
Old English: ġiest m, cuma m
Polish: gość (pl) m
Portuguese: hóspede (pt) m or f
Russian: посети́тель (ru) m (posetítelʹ), посети́тельница (ru) f (posetítelʹnica), постоя́лец (ru) m (postojálec) (hotel), клие́нт (ru) m (klijént), клие́нтка (ru) f (klijéntka)
Slovene: gost (sl) m, gostja f
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: gósć m

Upper Sorbian: hósć m
Spanish: huésped (es) m or f, huéspeda f, cliente (es) m or f, clienta (es) f
Swedish: gäst (sv) c, hotellgäst (sv) c
Thai: ลูกค้า (th) (lûuk-káa)
Turkish: konuk (tr), misafir (tr), mihman (tr)
Vietnamese: khách (vi)
Zazaki: mışterı du or f du or n

invited performer

Afrikaans: gaskunstenaar
Basque: gonbidatu
Belarusian: госць m (hoscʹ), го́сця f (hóscja)
Bulgarian: гост (bg) m (gost), го́стенка f (góstenka)
Catalan: invitat (ca) m, invitada (ca) f
Czech: host (cs) m
Danish: gæst (da) c
Dutch: gast (nl) m
Faroese: gestur m
Finnish: vieras (fi)
French: invité (fr) m, invitée (fr) f
Galician: convidado (gl) m
German: Gast (de) m
Greek: φιλοξενούμενος (el) m (filoxenoúmenos), προσκεκλημένος (el) m (proskekliménos)
Hebrew: אוֹרֵחַ (he) m (oréakh)
Icelandic: gestur (is) m
Italian: ospite (it) m or f
Macedonian: гостин m (gostin)
Naga:
Khiamniungan Naga: shāpāu
Polish: gość (pl) m
Portuguese: convidado (pt) m, convidada (pt) f
Russian: гость (ru) m (gostʹ), го́стья (ru) f (góstʹja)
Slovak: hosť m, hostka f, hostia pl
Slovene: gost (sl) m, gostja f
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: gósć m
Spanish: invitado (es) m, invitada (es) f
Swedish: gäst (sv) c, gästartist (sv) c
Telugu: అతిథి (te) (atithi)
Turkish: davetli (tr)
Ukrainian: гість m (histʹ), го́стя f (hóstja)
Zazaki: meyman (diq) m du or f du or n du

Verb

guest (third-person singular simple present guests, present participle guesting, simple past and past participle guested)

(intransitive) To appear as a guest, especially on a broadcast.
- 1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 254:
  During the '60s, he guested as off-beat characters on TV shows like "The Asphalt Jungle," "Bus Stop," and "The Detectives."
- 2016 May 23, David Sims, “Where 'Saturday Night Live' Failed This Season”, in The Atlantic‎^[1], archived from the original on 20 May 2025:
  Jimmy Fallon’s Trump impression struggled to match up to the real thing when Trump guested on his show.
(intransitive) As a musician: to play as a guest, providing an instrument that a band/orchestra does not normally have in its line up (for instance, percussion in a string band).
- 2010 September 9, Kevin Fallon, “Will Smith's 9-Year-Old Daughter Gets Record Deal”, in The Atlantic‎^[2], archived from the original on 7 December 2025:
  Oldest son Trey, from Will's first marriage, paved the way for his sibling's stardom when he guested on his dad's hit rap album, Big Willie Style, lending some precocious dialogue to the beginning of "Just the Two of Us" and starring in the accompanying music video:
(transitive, obsolete) To receive or entertain hospitably.
- 1608, [Guillaume de Salluste] Du Bartas, translated by Josuah Sylvester, Du Bartas His Deuine Weekes and Workes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Humfrey Lownes [and are to be sold by Arthur Iohnson […]], published 1611, →OCLC:
  Two Angels sent Two Heav'nly Scowts the Lord to Sodom sent ; downe , received and guested

Translations

to appear as a guest

Basque: gonbidatu
Bulgarian: гостувам (gostuvam)
Czech: hostovat (cs) impf
Danish: gæste
Finnish: esiintyä vieraana
German: gastieren (de)
Greek: φιλοξενούμαι (el) (filoxenoúmai)
Hebrew: התארח (hit'aréakh)
Macedonian: гостува (gostuva)
Russian: гости́ть (ru) impf (gostítʹ), (on broadcast) быть в гостя́х (bytʹ v gostjáx)
Swedish: gästa (sv)
Zazaki: meymaniye (diq) n or pf

to receive or entertain hospitably as a guest — see host

Derived terms

Anagrams

tegus