receptionist

receptionist — noun

1. a person who greets visitors and answers phone calls while sitting at the front

1.nounA2
Definition

a person who greets visitors and answers phone calls while sitting at the front desk in a hotel, at an office, or in a hospital

Example

The hotel receptionist gave Jiwoo his room key and a map of the area.

receptionist + give [guest] [items] — typical hotel check-in

Talia called the office, and the receptionist answered the phone on the second ring.

receptionist + answer phone — common office scenario

Common collocations
  • work as a receptionist
  • hotel receptionist
  • office receptionist
  • hospital receptionist
  • clinic receptionist
  • front desk receptionist
  • the main receptionist
Synonyms
  • front desk clerk

    more common in US English and used especially for hotels, where duties include check-ins and reservations

  • desk clerk

    shortened form of 'front desk clerk', used mainly in American hotels

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A receptionist is the first person visitors see when they walk into a hotel, office, or clinic — they sit at the front desk, greet people, answer phone calls, and help with directions or basic questions. A front desk clerk is very similar, but the phrase is most common in American hotels, where the role may also include handling check-ins, reservations, and payments. A secretary has a broader set of duties that go beyond greeting visitors: typing documents, scheduling meetings, filing paperwork, and handling correspondence. A secretary may work in a back office rather than at a front desk. For example, you ask the receptionist where the meeting room is, but you ask the secretary to type a letter or send an email to a client.

receptionist ↗front desk clerksecretary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • hotel receptionist
  • office receptionist
  • hospital receptionist
  • clinic receptionist
  • front desk receptionist
  • dental receptionist
  • medical receptionist

Phrases

  • work as a receptionist
  • train as a receptionist
  • the main receptionist

Prepositions

  • as a receptionist
  • at [place/company]
  • for [company]

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'receptionist' comes from the Latin verb 'recipere', meaning 'to receive or welcome'. This passed into French as 'réception', and then into English as 'reception' — the act of welcoming people. The ending '-ist' means 'a person who does a particular job'. So a receptionist is literally a person whose job is to receive and welcome people. The word has been used in English since the late 1800s, when hotels and large offices began to employ someone specifically to greet visitors at the front desk.