hospice

noun

hos·​pice ˈhä-spəs 

1

: a lodging for travelers, young persons, or the underprivileged especially when maintained by a religious order

2

: a program designed to provide palliative care and emotional support to the terminally ill in a home or homelike setting so that quality of life is maintained and family members may be active participants in care

also : a facility that provides such a program

Synonyms of hospice

• hotel
• hostel
• tavern

Examples of hospice in a Sentence

She chose to go to a hospice instead of a hospital.

the monks run a hospice for travelers in their mountain retreat

Recent Examples on the Web

The Irish native, who appeared in a season 6 episode of Game of Thrones, died while in hospice care, his wife Naomi Sheehan announced on Instagram on Wednesday, April 8. —Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026

The charges are the latest in a series of high-profile moves made by state and federal prosecutors as both have ramped up their investigations into hospice operators. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026

The department is improving those safeguards by ensuring hospice claims are paid only when the proper documentation is provided, establishing a faster and more secure online process and developing stronger checks and balances to weed out fake and stolen identities earlier, Johnson said. —Jason Henry, Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026

The defendants were accused of running sham hospice care facilities that defrauded Medicare by using people without terminal illnesses as beneficiaries, according to the California Justice Department. —Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French hospise, borrowed from Medieval Latin hospitium "hospitality, lodgings, monastic guesthouse, shelter maintained by a religious order for the poor and infirm," going back to Latin,"accommodation of guests, hired lodgings," from hospit-, hospes "guest, host" + -ium, denominal suffix of function or occupation — more at host entry 1

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hospice

noun

hos·​pice ˈhäs-pəs 

1

: an inn for travelers

especially : one kept by a religious order

2

: a place or program for caring for dying persons

Medical Definition

hospice

noun

hos·​pice ˈhäs-pəs 

: a facility or program designed to provide palliative care and emotional support to the terminally ill in a home or homelike setting so that quality of life is maintained and family members may be active participants in care