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

Los Angeles County alone has 1,923 hospice providers. —William La Jeunesse, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026

She was eventually moved to hospice care and life support was withdrawn. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026

YoloCares accepts hospice and palliative care admissions around the clock and has received high quality-of-care ratings, Bourgoub said. —Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026

For Ianni, the pickleball player whose physical therapy was stymied because she was fraudulently enrolled in hospice care, the state’s efforts to stem the problem came too late. —Graham Kates, CBS News, 9 Mar. 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