host
Noun pluralhosts
Pluralhosts
- 1To welcome and look after guests, to plan and run an event, or to present a show.
Like being the person who invites friends over and looks after them.
They host a dinner party every New Year's Eve.
The school will host a science fair next month.
UsageSay host a party or host a show.
Similarstage, hold, present, organize, run
Note
- 2A person who welcomes and takes care of guests in their home or business.
Like the person who opens the door and makes you feel at home when you visit.
As host, she made sure everyone had food and drinks.
A good host greets each guest at the door.
UsageThe opposite is guest. Say play host to someone.
Oppositeguest
Note
- 3The person who leads a show and talks to the audience between parts.
Like the person at a party who keeps everyone talking and the fun going.
The host told a few jokes before the first act came on.
Each game show needs a host to ask the questions.
UsageSay talk show host.
Similarpresenter
- 4Of a place or thing, to be home to something or have it inside, like animals, a building, or a collection.
These wetlands host hundreds of kinds of birds every spring.
The old factory now hosts a bakery, a gym, and two small shops.
UsagePlainer words: has or is home to.
Similarhouse, hold, harbor, contain
Note
- 5To run a website or program on a computer so others can use it.
Like keeping a library open so anyone can come and borrow books.
They host their company website on a cloud server.
This server can host several apps at the same time.
UsageSay host a website on a server.
Similarrun
Note
- 6
- 7A living thing that another living thing, like a parasite or virus, lives on or inside.
Like a house where an uninvited guest moves in and won't leave.
The tick looks for a host whose blood it can feed on.
Some worms can live inside a human host for years.
Note
- 8
- 9A computer that is connected to a network.
Like each house on a street having its own mailbox address.
Each host on the network has its own address.
The technician checked every host for the virus.
Note
Less common meanings
- 10The special bread or wafer used in Christian Communion, especially after it has been blessed.
The priest raised the host before the congregation.
Each person came forward to receive the host at the altar.
Similarwafer
Note
- 11
- 12A man paid to talk with and entertain customers, often at a special kind of bar in Japan.
At the club, women paid a young host to flirt and chat with them.
Some women in Tokyo pay to spend an evening chatting with a host at a club.
- 13To stay the night at an inn.
Where you shall host.
c. 1604, William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”Here, host means to stay the night at an inn.Note
- 14In a group that shares one body, the main person who is in control most of the time.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
It came through Middle English and Old French from Latin hospes, meaning a host or guest. This traces back to an old root meaning 'master of guests.'
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Host came through Middle English and Old French from Latin hospes. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin hospes means host or guest. en.wiktionary.org
- The word ultimately derives from a reconstructed form meaning master of guests. en.wiktionary.org
It came through Old French from Latin hostis, meaning a foreign enemy. It is a doublet of 'guest.'
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Host came through Old French from Latin hostis. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin hostis means a foreign enemy. en.wiktionary.org
- Host and guest are doublets. en.wikipedia.org
It came through Old French from Latin hostia, meaning a sacrificial victim. It is a doublet of 'hostie.'
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Host came through Old French from Latin hostia. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin hostia means a sacrificial victim. en.wiktionary.org
- Host is a doublet of hostie. en.wiktionary.org