hostel

1 of 2

noun

hos·​tel ˈhä-stᵊl 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• auberge
• caravansary
• caravanserai
• hospice
• hostelry
• hotel
• inn
• lodge
• public house
• tavern

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

Noun

Kevin’s Hostel This no-frills hostel is both affordable and clean with a great garden and terrace reserved exclusively for guests. —Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025

How authorities say the shooting happened Authorities say Mangione arrived in New York City by bus days before the Dec. 4 shooting and checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025

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

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

Phrases Containing hostel

• youth hostel

Rhymes for hostel

• costal
• hostile
• intercostal
• pentecostal
• subcostal

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 

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