hostel

1 of 2

noun

hos·tel ˈhä-stᵊl

Synonyms of hostel next

: inn

: 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

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

Noun

Then, in the ’60s, a summer ski school and hostel operated on its slopes. —

Martha Cheng, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023 Pilgrim hostels, also known as albergues, are plentiful across the Camino Frances. —

Iona Brannon, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2023 Lolo Pass For a date night in eastside Portland, don’t pass up this rooftop patio on top of a lively hostel. —

oregonlive, 18 July 2023 Whistler, Canada Pangea Pod Hotel Shop at booking.com Part Japanese capsule hotel, part designer hostel. —

Christian Gollayan, Men's Health, 27 June 2023 But there are dozens of mid-range options, too, plus super-affordable hostels for backpackers like Nativus Hostel, which also has private rooms. —

Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2023 Though hostels are already quite popular on other continents, the model hasn’t changed much over the last century. —

Julia Carmel, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2023 Navigating trains, hostels, men, all with one guidebook. —

Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 25 May 2023 With options ranging from private lodges and luxury suites to hostel dormitories and a BYOT (Bring Your Own Tent, that is) riverside campground, Highland Base aims to make every traveler feel cozy and right at home in this untamed and remote region. —

Claire Stern, ELLE, 28 June 2023

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 More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hostel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

See more words from the same century