hostel

1 of 2

noun

hos·​tel ˈhä-stᵊl How to pronounce hostel (audio)
1
: inn
2
: an inexpensive lodging facility for usually young travelers that typically has dormitory-style sleeping arrangements and sometimes offers meals and planned activities

called also youth hostel

3
chiefly British : a supervised institutional residence or shelter (as for homeless people)

hostel

2 of 2

verb

hosteled or hostelled; hosteling or hostelling

intransitive verb

: to stay at hostels overnight in the course of traveling

Examples of hostel in a Sentence

Noun in the old days, a traveler could spend the night at one of the hostels placed along the coach route
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The hostel manager and owner, who are also Vietnamese, were previously detained for questioning by police, according to the Associated Press. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024 Officials arrested eight hostel workers in Laos on Monday for allegedly poisoning travelers with methanol, according to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Tourists reported illnesses after consuming alcohol in the town of Vang Vieng, a popular backpacking destination. Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024
Verb
That’s when the first upscale hostels appeared, determinedly different from those hosteling clichés. Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Sep. 2018 Of course, hosteling originated as a way for young backpackers to sleep safely and comfortably without the expense of a hotel. Rick Steves, miamiherald, 3 May 2018 See all Example Sentences for hostel 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "lodging, accommodation, inn, dwelling place," borrowed from Anglo-French ostel, hostel, going back to Latin hospitāle "guest accommodation" (in plural hospitālia) — more at hospital

Note: Latin hospitāle as a noun is very sparsely attested in texts before the later Middle Ages, though the phonetic development to ostel and its semantic diversification show that it must have been well-established in Gallo-Romance at an early date.

Verb

derivative of hostel entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hostel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near hostel

Cite this Entry

“Hostel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hostel. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

hostel

noun
hos·​tel
ˈhäs-tᵊl
1
: inn
2
: an inexpensive lodging for usually young travelers

called also youth hostel

Medical Definition

hostel

noun
hos·​tel ˈhäs-tᵊl How to pronounce hostel (audio)
chiefly British
: housing maintained by a public or private organization or institution
especially : a rest home or rehabilitation center for the chronically ill, the aged, or the physically disabled

More from Merriam-Webster on hostel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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