Meaning & use
desk clerk
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Meaning
nouncountable
A person who works at the front desk of a hotel or similar place, greeting guests and handling check-in and questions.
Grammar: Countable: the desk clerk, two desk clerks.
Patterns
- ask the desk clerk
- a desk clerk at somewhere
The desk clerk handed us our room keys with a smile.
I asked the desk clerk to call a taxi.
She worked nights as a desk clerk at a small motel.
Word forms
| plural | desk clerks |
|---|
Common combinations
- hotel desk clerk
- The hotel desk clerk recommended a nearby cafe.
- night desk clerk
- The night desk clerk let us in after midnight.
- ask the desk clerk
- If the Wi-Fi fails, ask the desk clerk.
- front desk clerk
- A front desk clerk checked us in.
- tell the desk clerk
- Tell the desk clerk if you need extra towels.
Synonyms and how they differ
- receptionist
- This is the usual British term and also covers offices and clinics, not just hotels.
- front desk agent
- This is a more modern, corporate-sounding title used by hotel chains.
- concierge
- A concierge gives advice and arranges services like tours and bookings, rather than handling check-in.
- clerk
- Clerk alone is broader and can mean any office or shop worker.
Word family
Commonly confused: desk clerk or desk job?
desk clerk vs desk job
A desk job is any job done seated at a desk; a desk clerk is a specific role at a front desk.
Practice
When we arrived late, the night ___ gave us our room key and showed us the elevator.
Choose one answer.
A desk clerk checks guests in and hands out keys. A bellboy carries bags, a valet parks cars, and a chef cooks.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “desk clerk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.