visitor

visitor — noun

1. a person who goes to see someone or to spend time at a particular place, such as

1.nounB1
Definition

a person who goes to see someone or to spend time at a particular place, such as a friend's home, a city, or an attraction — for example, a friend stopping by for tea, or a tourist exploring a new country.

Example

The museum welcomes over two million visitors every year.

collocation: welcome visitors

Antonia had an unexpected visitor at her apartment last night.

Common collocations
  • welcome a visitor
  • receive a visitor
  • unexpected visitor
  • regular visitor
  • frequent visitor
  • first-time visitor
  • paying visitor
Synonyms
  • guest

    stronger implication of being invited and hosted, often staying overnight

  • caller

    more formal; someone who makes a short, often scheduled visit

  • tourist

    someone visiting a place for sightseeing or vacation, usually from elsewhere

Antonyms
  • host

    the person who receives the visitor

  • local

    a person who lives in the place being visited

Grammar Patterns

visitor + to + place/person

visitor + from + place

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'to' to specify the place or person being visited ('visitors to the city'). Unlike 'guest', which implies being invited and hosted, a visitor may come without a formal invitation.

Common Mistakes

I had a visitor who stayed for two weeks as a paying guest at the hotel.
I had a guest who stayed for two weeks at the hotel.
'Visitor' is for short social calls; 'guest' is better for someone staying overnight as part of a formal arrangement.

2. a person who views or opens a webpage or site on the internet, typically counted

2.nounB2
Definition

a person who views or opens a webpage or site on the internet, typically counted over a specific period — for example, someone reading a blog post or browsing an online store.

Example

The blog received over eight thousand unique visitors in its first week.

collocation: unique visitor

Rohan checked how long each visitor stayed on his photography portfolio.

Common collocations
  • unique visitor
  • repeat visitor
  • first-time visitor
  • visitor count
  • visitor traffic
  • visitor session
Synonyms
  • user

    broader term that includes active participation, not just viewing

  • viewer

    focuses on looking at content rather than interacting with the site

Grammar Patterns

visitor + to + website

unique visitor

visitor count

Usage Note

In web analytics, a 'visitor' usually refers to a unique device or browser session over a defined time window, not just any page load. Distinguish from 'visit' (a single session) — one visitor can make multiple visits.

Common Mistakes

Each visitor who loaded the page counted as a new unique visitor.
Each device that loaded the page counted as a new unique visitor.
'Unique visitor' is tracked by device or IP, not by page load.

Word family

  • visit
    verbA2
  • visit
    nounB1
  • visiting
    adjectiveB1
  • visitation
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Visitor is the broadest term: anyone who goes to a person or place for any reason. A guest is specifically invited and usually hosted — you invite a guest to stay at your home, but a visitor might just stop by for ten minutes. Caller is more formal and often implies a brief, scheduled visit, such as a sales caller or a doctor making a house call. Tourist is narrower: someone visiting a place for leisure or sightseeing, often from a different city or country. For example, 'the ambassador received many callers at the embassy' sounds official, while 'the beach was full of tourists' suggests holiday travel. If a friend drops by unannounced, they are a visitor, not a guest or a tourist.

visitor ↗guest ↗caller ↗tourist ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • visitor center
  • visitor information
  • visitor parking

Adverbs

Phrases

  • first-time visitor
  • repeat visitor
  • regular visitor

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Visitor comes from the Latin verb 'visitare', meaning 'to go to see' or 'to attend', which was the frequentative form of 'visere' (to look at). This passed into Old French as 'visiter' and then into Middle English as 'visiten'. The noun form 'visitor' (originally 'visitour') appeared in the 14th century, referring to someone who makes a visit. The web-analytics sense emerged in the late 1990s as internet usage became widespread.