welcome a guest

Meaning

To greet and receive a visitor in a warm, friendly, and hospitable manner. It refers to making someone feel comfortable and accepted when they arrive at your home, office, or event.

Examples

• She stood at the front door, ready to welcome a guest into her new home.

  She stood at the front door, ready to welcome a guest into her new home.

• It is important to welcome a guest with a warm smile and a cold drink.

  It is important to welcome a guest with a warm smile and a cold drink.

• They decorated the spare bedroom to welcome a guest who was staying for the weekend.

  They decorated the spare bedroom to welcome a guest who was staying for the weekend.

• As hosts, our primary job is to welcome a guest and make them feel at home.

  As hosts, our primary job is to welcome a guest and make them feel at home.

• The hotel staff went out of their way to welcome every guest personally.

  The hotel staff went out of their way to welcome every guest personally.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We welcomed to a guest.

  ✓ We welcomed a guest.

  The verb 'welcome' is transitive and does not need the preposition 'to' before the object.

• ✗ She made a welcome to the guest.

  ✓ She welcomed the guest.

  While 'welcome' can be a noun, in conversational English we usually use the verb 'welcome' or the phrase 'make someone feel welcome'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The host stood by the door to ___ with a warm smile.

  💡 Greet someone arriving at your home.

  Show answer

  welcome a guest

• It is polite to clean the house before you ___.

  💡 Receive a visitor.

  Show answer

  welcome a guest