hostess

hostess — noun

1. The woman who welcomes people into her home or to a social event and looks after

1.nounB1
Definition

The woman who welcomes people into her home or to a social event and looks after them during their stay.

Example

Nora was a wonderful hostess who made sure everyone had enough to eat and drink.

hostess + relative clause for describing someone's role

The hostess greeted her dinner guests with a warm smile at the front door.

Common collocations
  • wonderful hostess
  • act as hostess
  • play the role of hostess
Synonyms
  • host

    gender-neutral term that can be used for anyone who receives guests

  • entertainer

    broader — can refer to a performer or someone who provides social amusement, not specifically a person receiving guests

  • party-giver

    informal, focuses specifically on the person organizing and funding a social event

Antonyms
  • guest

    a person invited and received by a hostess

Grammar Patterns

hostess + of + event/group

Common Mistakes

The hostess seated us at a corner table in her home.
The hostess seated us at a corner table in the restaurant.
A restaurant hostess works in a dining establishment; a party hostess welcomes guests at home or for an event.

2. A woman employed at a nightclub or bar to entertain male guests through conversa

2.nounB2
Definition

A woman employed at a nightclub or bar to entertain male guests through conversation and companionship.

Example

Sari worked as a hostess at a nightclub in Taipei, where she entertained customers with conversation.

work as a hostess at [nightclub/bar]

The manager asked the hostess to make sure the male guests felt welcome and had plenty of drinks.

Common collocations
  • work as a hostess
  • hostess at a nightclub
Synonyms
  • escort

    implies a more personal, private arrangement rather than a venue employee; often carries a different social meaning

  • bar girl

    informal and potentially offensive; more narrowly refers to a woman working in a bar setting

Grammar Patterns

hostess + at + [nightclub/bar]

Usage Note

Frequently associated with bars and nightclubs; may carry cultural assumptions about entertainment and companionship that differ by region.

3. A woman who greets customers when they arrive at a restaurant and shows them to

3.nounB1
Definition

A woman who greets customers when they arrive at a restaurant and shows them to their table.

Example

The hostess at the noodle shop showed us to a small table near the window.

hostess at [restaurant] shows guests to table

Lukas waited at the entrance until the hostess returned to seat him and his daughter.

Common collocations
  • hostess at a restaurant
  • friendly hostess
  • hostess seats guests
Synonyms
  • greeter

    a more general term used in restaurants and other business settings; can be any gender

  • maître d'

    a higher-ranking role that often supervises the dining room and handles reservations

  • seater

    informal, less common; focuses only on the task of guiding customers to tables

Grammar Patterns

hostess + at + [restaurant/cafe]

Common Mistakes

The hostess brought us our meals and refilled our water.
The hostess showed us to our table and gave us menus.
In a restaurant, the hostess seats guests and handles the initial greeting; a server or waiter takes food orders and brings meals.

4. A woman who serves passengers and gives safety instructions on an aircraft durin

4.nounB2
Definition

A woman who serves passengers and gives safety instructions on an aircraft during a flight.

Example

The hostess on the flight to Tokyo brought Ziad a blanket and a glass of water.

hostess on [flight] brings items to passenger

Before takeoff, the hostess showed the passengers how to fasten their seat belts correctly.

Common collocations
  • hostess on a flight
  • airline hostess
Synonyms
  • flight attendant

    the modern, gender-neutral term that has largely replaced hostess and stewardess in the airline industry

  • stewardess

    older term that is still understood but increasingly seen as dated

  • cabin crew

    collective term for all airline staff working in the passenger cabin, used both for individuals and groups

Grammar Patterns

hostess + on + [flight/plane]

Usage Note

Increasingly replaced by the gender-neutral term flight attendant, which is now standard in the airline industry.

Common Mistakes

The hostess showed me to my seat on the plane.
The flight attendant showed me to my seat on the plane.
Flight attendant is the current standard term for all cabin crew regardless of gender.

hostess — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Host and hostess are direct gender-marked counterparts: a hostess is specifically a woman who receives guests, while host is gender-neutral and can refer to anyone in that role. In modern English, host is far more common than hostess for the verb role and increasingly for the noun as well. Party-giver is an informal noun that emphasizes the person who organizes and pays for a social event, not just the one who welcomes guests. Entertainer is broader and can mean a performer (singer, comedian) or someone skilled at making social gatherings enjoyable, but it does not specifically mean the person who invited the guests. For example: 'The host/hostess greeted everyone at the door' focuses on receiving; 'The party-giver spent weeks planning the menu' focuses on organizing; 'She is a natural entertainer who keeps conversations flowing' focuses on social skill rather than hosting role.

host ↗hostess ↗party-giverentertainer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • act as hostess
  • serve as hostess

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Hostess comes from Middle English hostesse, borrowed from Old French hostesse, the feminine form of hoste (host). The root goes back to Latin hospes, meaning 'guest' or 'host', which also gave us hotel, hospital, and hospice. The suffix -ess was commonly added in English to mark female versions of roles (e.g., actress, waitress), though many such terms are now being replaced by gender-neutral alternatives.