hostel
Americannoun
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Also called youth hostel. an inexpensive, supervised lodging place for young people on bicycle trips, hikes, etc.
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(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.
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British. a student residence at a university or boarding school.
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an inn.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a building providing overnight accommodation, as for the homeless, etc
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See youth hostel
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a supervised lodging house for nurses, workers, etc
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archaic another word for hostelry
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hostel
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English (h)ostel, from Old French, from Late Latin hospitāle “guest room”; see hospital
Explanation
If you backpack around Europe and are traveling on a budget, you will probably want to stay in a hostel, an inexpensive lodging made typically for young travelers willing to sleep in dorms. The word hostel comes from the Latin hospitale meaning "inn, large house." Think of a hostel as an inn for students or young people. Often you can stay in one of these places for relatively little money because multiple beds are in one room and you share the bathroom with other guests. If you want to meet traveling students, you could try opening a youth hostel in your home town.
Vocabulary lists containing hostel
Some Tricky Homonyms
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before
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Born a Crime
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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.
Five other people died after consuming free drinks served at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, including two Australian teenagers, an American and two Danish tourists.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
American Hustle and Apocalypse Now star Colleen Camp, Hostel star and creator Eli Roth, and singer and YouTuber Trisha Paytas have also joined the cast.
From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025
In the video, a man rings the doorbell and says he’s there to check into LA Modern Hostel 2.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2024
On the other side of the street and a few doors down, LA Modern Hostel received the same citation more than a year ago.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2024
It's quite true that my secretary hasn't found rooms for me yet, but meanwhile the Hostel does perfectly well, and I'm glad of the opportunity for being so near my work.
From The War-Workers by Delafield, E.M.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
