Learn English – Escorting a guest before saying goodbye as a sign of respect or caring

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In the two cases below, what is the host doing to the guest?

First example: When you go to someone's home for dinner, after the party, the host walks you out and says goodbye in the street rather than in the living room. The host does this out of respect for his guest.

Second example: If you go to another city and stay with a friend for a few days, when you are leaving, they accompany you to the airport or the train station instead of parting at their own doorstep. The host's intention is to show his caring for the guest.

What are acts like these two examples called? I've come across "escort" and "convoy", but these two mean travelling with someone to protect them which implies a different intention. In my first language there is a specific verb for this act. I was wondering if there is an equivalent phrase or word in English or not.

Best Answer

This is known as seeing someone to < somewhere >

The host saw his guest to the door

His friend saw him to the airport.

to see out : 1. To escort some visitor to an exit. The butler saw out the visitors. Will you please see Dr. Smith out? 1

If the seeing out was exceptional you can add in all the way to:

He saw his friend all the way to the train station.


1 The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.