hostel

American  

[hos-tl] / ˈhɒs tl /

noun

1. Also called youth hostel.  an inexpensive, supervised lodging place for young people on bicycle trips, hikes, etc.

2. (formerly) a residence for the exclusive use of boarding Indigenous students, separate from but close to any of a series of day schools in northern Canada that were operated or funded by the federal government and were themselves open to students of any ethnicity.

3. British. a student residence at a university or boarding school.

4. an inn.

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verb (used without object)

hosteled, hosteling, hostelled, hostelling

1. to travel, lodging each night at a hostel.

hostel British  

/ ˈhɒstəl /

noun

1. a building providing overnight accommodation, as for the homeless, etc

2. See youth hostel

3. a supervised lodging house for nurses, workers, etc

4. archaic another word for hostelry

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Etymology

Origin of hostel

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English (h)ostel, from Old French, from Late Latin hospitāle “guest room”; hospital

Example Sentences

She plans to stay in South Korea for a few more weeks until BTS’s next show in a Seoul suburb next month, volunteering to work at a hostel to save on lodging costs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Irshad Ahmed, a 49-year-old pilgrim, told AFP he was staying at a hostel in Tehran when he saw missiles being fired nearby.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Van Dyke, a Santa Cruz native, was a long-time Caribbean resident and owned Hotel Puerto Viejo, a dorm-style hostel in Puerto Viejo de Telemanca.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

The teenager had been working at a backpacker's hostel for the past six weeks, and told friends she was going for a 05:00 morning swim on Monday, Australian media reported.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

It was only when a kindly cook from the hostel brought them some newspapers that my parents found out that the whole world knew about my shooting.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

Related Words

• hotel
• inn