motel
Americannoun
-
motels
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of motel
Compare meaning
How does motel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A motel is a place you can stay overnight, with plenty of parking and easy access to a highway. Many motels feature rooms with separate entrances that face a large parking lot. A motel is very much like a hotel — it fact, motels were originally "motor hotels." The first official motel was built in 1925, designed to be an easy, cheap stop on a long car trip. While hotels are often in the middle of cities, motels are usually on a city's outskirts, providing space to park and a quick walk from car to room. The popularity of motels increased through the twentieth century, along with the development of the modern highway system.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There’s a row of Tesla chargers outside the Dew Drop Inn motel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
He was born in Africa to Indian parents, who brought him to the U.S. at a young age, and bought a motel in Virginia, putting him to work at the age of 14.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
He said he would accept a motel room if offered one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
The interview, filmed in a Philadelphia studio dressed up to resemble a seedy motel in a wink at the laptop scandal, quickly became a viral sensation, generating millions of views.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
We fly past yet another highway exit, this one featuring just two gas stations and a sketchy motel.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The little hotels, motels and inns along Cambria’s Moonstone Beach Drive have been drawing travelers for more than 60 years, largely because of scenic, driftwood-strewn Moonstone Beach across the street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Raman contends that Bass’ signature program Inside Safe, which dismantles encampments and moves people living there into motels, hotels and interim housing, is overly expensive and unsustainable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The city’s overall homeless population rose 3.4% including those the city puts up in motels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Inside Safe, the mayor’s signature homelessness program, has moved more than 6,000 people into hotels, motels and other types of interim housing since Bass took office in December 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
All the local hotels and motels lit their “No Vacancies” neons.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
