host

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈhōst

plural hosts

Synonyms of host next

: a person who receives or entertains guests socially, commercially, or officially

Ourself will mingle with society / And play the humble host.—

William Shakespeare

… another blog disclosed that he [John Edwards] had been the host of an off-the-record dinner with several bloggers at his house in Washington.—

Time

On Thursday night, [Dawn] Staley will be the host at a black tie fundraising dinner for her foundation in suburban Philadelphia.—

The New York Times

… the Inn at Little Washington has become one of America's premier dining destinations, a cozy world of casual luxury and terrific American food created by chef Patrick O'Connell and host Reinhardt Lynch.—

Thomas Matthews

: a place or organization that provides facilities and services for an event or function

The night before he scored 18 points and got 18 rebounds to help Winthrop beat host UNC-Asheville 75-62.—

Seth Davis

For the pleasure of visitors who like to combine running and jumping with more intellectual pursuits, Olympic hosts have traditionally set forth a generous display of cultural events. Seoul came up to snuff.—

E. J. Kahn, Jr.

: a country, government, etc. that agrees to allow an outside business, organization, group of people, etc. to operate, function, or live within its boundaries, jurisdiction, or population

—often used before another noun

In short, the problem is that the interests of a large multinational company may not be coincident with the development interests of the host countries.—

E. S. Simpson

… when a United States service member commits an offense within a foreign country, should the accused be tried in a court-martial or in a court of the host country?—

Charles A. Shanor and Timothy P. Terrell

Although the guest workers were distinct—in the sense that they were initially expected to go home and not be absorbed into the host society—in practice, many have stayed and thereby contributed to the ethnic diversity of Europe.—

Michael Chisholm

biology : a living organism on or in which a parasite lives

… a single-celled protozoan parasite that is able to sexually reproduce in only one host—cats.—

Erin Tomb

… the parasite larvae develop inside each bee, rapidly consuming their host from the inside out.—

Paul Schmid-Hempel

Cryptosporidium is an enteric parasite of emerging importance in normal and immunocompromised hosts.—

Peter S. Millard et al.

… there is a wide array of mechanisms by which the parasite evades or modulates host immunological attack.—

Rick M. Maizel et al.

see also definitive host, host cell, intermediate host

biology : the larger, stronger, or dominant member of a commensal or symbiotic pair

When one species, known as the symbiont, lives within the body of the other, known as the host, the relation is called endosymbiotic.—

James J. Childress et al.

In a number of natural associations, such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legumes, the host organism receives a significant benefit, but the symbiont partner gets little in return.—

Physics Today

biology : an individual into which a tissue, part, or embryo is transplanted from another

Allogeneic transplantation is more complicated than syngeneic or autologous transplantation because of immunologic differences between donor and host.—

Frederick R. Appelbaum

This suggests that functional connections develop between the transplanted neural tissue and the host brain.—

Gary W. Arendash et al.

verb (1)

hosted; hosting; hosts

transitive verb

: to receive or entertain guests at or for (an event)

… comes with every utensil you'd ever need to successfully host a 12-person dinner party.—

Jamie Rabinovitch

: to serve as host (see host entry 1 sense 1) to (a person or group)

hosting guests from out of town

… the Pelicans will host the Atlanta Hawks in a preseason game …—

Chris Dodson

The agency commended Uganda for again welcoming people uprooted by violence. The country hosts more refugees than any other nation on the continent.—

news.un.org

: emcee sense 1

hosts a late-night show

The event, hosted by Emmy Award-winning actress and producer Niecy Nash … will include 16 award categories … honoring standout achievements in Black filmmaking and television.—

Audrey J. Bernard

computers : to provide and maintain (a host or server)

Those who want to take their online gameplay to the next level should host their own server instead, rather than relying on the free, shared servers provided by others.—

Trevor Anderson

also : to serve as or provide a host or server for (a network, website, etc.)

… malware had infected the servers that host … electronic medical records … —

Morgan Eichensehr

The data center, which will host a network of computer services … , will eventually employ 50 workers. —

The Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer

host

3 of 5

noun (2)

variants or less commonly Host

plural hosts also Hosts

religion : the eucharistic bread

host

4 of 5

noun (3)

plural hosts

: a great number : multitude

a whole host of options

: army

… the destruction of Pharaoh's host in that sea …—

W. L. Sperry

host

5 of 5

verb (2)

hosted; hosting; hosts

intransitive verb

: to assemble in an army usually for a hostile purpose

Examples of host in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

From April 17 to May 1, a special committee within Sundance will gather and share information with interested host cities. —

Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024 In addition to the actors who portray characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Cinderella and Prince Charming in the parks and nearby hotels, Magic United includes hosts, trainers, leads and other workers who support them. —

Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024 Health policy experts say a host of factors limit participation in the program. —

Phil Galewitz, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024 Paris Olympics: July 27-Aug. 11 Related Articles Superstar Stephen Curry has earned MVPs, championships and a host of All-NBA and All-Star honors. —

Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024 During a recent conversation with Katie Couric on his Club Random podcast, the Real Time host defended the filmmaker while discussing creatives who have been canceled in Hollywood. —

Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024 In honor of what would have been legendary composer Henry Mancini’s 100th birthday today (April 16), his estate has unveiled a host of celebrations, including the tribute album The Henry Mancini 100th Sessions – Henry Has Company. —

Spin Staff, SPIN, 16 Apr. 2024 What is less understood is the simultaneous intensive diplomacy involving Moscow, Kyiv, and a host of other actors, which could have resulted in a settlement just weeks after the war began. —

Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024 The radio host and television personality was joined by country and rock friends — including Jon Pardi, Megan Moroney and Sam Hunt — to help raise $215K for the hospital this year alone. —

Sarah Michaud, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024

Verb

Established in 1967 by late jazz connoisseur Claude Nobs, the festival has hosted many of the greats of contemporary music, from Prince to David Bowie, Nina Simone, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Elton John and others. —

Lars Brandle, Billboard, 18 Apr. 2024 Submissions and proposals to host will begin in May and close on June 21, with the final selections announced in late 2024 or early 2025, according to the institute. —

Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024 Enrolled and incoming Arizona college students can also attend university drop-ins hosted weekly. —

The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024 The Panthers, who won the Atlantic Division with a 52-24-6 record, will host Games 1, 2, 5 (if necessary) and 7 (if necessary) at Amerant Bank Arena. —

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024 Trump hosted a fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani at Bedminster in September to help with the former New York mayor's legal costs, which stem in part from the criminal charges Giuliani faces in Fulton County, Georgia, for trying to help Trump overturn the 2020 election. —

Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024 The duo teamed up to host a new fashion competition series called OMG Fashun, launching on May 6. —

Essence, 18 Apr. 2024 The multi-hyphenate, 36, debuted a new hair color and wispy bangs on Wednesday, April 17, while hosting an event in London to celebrate the release of the latest Fenty x Puma Creeper Phatty colorways. —

Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024 This led Kimmel to hint at his potential next hosting gig. —

Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'host.' 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 (1)

Middle English ost, host "person who receives guests, guest," borrowed from Anglo-French oste, hoste, going back to Latin hospit-, hospes "guest, visitor, person receiving guests," going back to dialectal Indo-European *g^hosti-pot- (whence probably also Old Church Slavic gospodĭ "lord, master"), from *g^host-i- "outsider, guest" + *pot- "one in control, master" — more at guest entry 1, potent entry 1

Note: The dual meanings "host"/"guest" of Latin hospes and its progeny are due to customs of reciprocity: a person serving as guest on one occasion would act—and be expected to act—as host on another occasion to a visiting former host. Both Latin hospes and Slavic gospodĭ have undergone a considerable degree of phonetic reduction from their putative etymons—in particular in the Slavic case, where Latin unstressed syllable reduction and syncope were not at play—leading some to question the correctness of the etymologies. Parallel compounds with the same second element are Greek despótēs "master, lord" (going back to *dems-pot- "master of the house"; see despot), Sanskrit dámpatiḥ "householder, lord of the house," Avestan də̄ṇg paitiš; Sanskrit viśpátiḥ "chief of a settlement/tribe," Avestan vīspaitiš, Lithuanian viẽšpats "lord" (with outcomes of Indo-European *u̯iḱ-, *u̯oiḱ- "house, community"; see vicinity).

Verb (1)

Middle English hosten, osten, derivative of ost, host host entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English hoste, oste "sacrificial offering, bread consecrated in the Eucharist," borrowed from Anglo-French hoste, hoiste, going back to Late Latin hostia "Eucharist," going back to Latin, "sacrificial animal," derivative from the base of hostīre "to recompense, requite," hostis "foreigner, stranger, enemy" — more at guest entry 1

Noun (3)

Middle English ost, host "army, detachment, body of attendants, multitude, throng," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Late Latin hostis "archenemy, the Devil, army," going back to Latin, "foreigner, stranger" (in early use), "enemy," going back to dialectal Indo-European *g^host-i- "outsider, guest" — more at guest entry 1

Note: The use of hostis to mean "army," evident in 6th-century Latin (Gregory the Great, Gregory of Tours), is apparently via the sense shift "enemy" > "enemy army" > "any armed force." For details on the earlier semantic history of Latin hostis see note at guest entry 1.

Verb (2)

derivative of host entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of host was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Host.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/host. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

host

1 of 4 noun

ˈhōst

: army sense 1a

: a great number

host

2 of 4 noun

: one who receives or entertains guests socially or as a business

: a living animal or plant on or in which a parasite lives

host

3 of 4 verb

: to serve as host to, for, or at

host friends

hosting a dinner

: to serve as master of ceremonies for

hosted the awards show

host

4 of 4 noun

often capitalized

: a round thin piece of bread used in the Eucharist

Etymology

Noun

Middle English host "army," from early French ost (same meaning), from Late Latin hostis (same meaning), from earlier hostis "stranger, enemy" — related to hospital, hostile

Noun

Middle English hoste "host, guest," from early French hoste (same meaning), from Latin hospit-, hospes "host, stranger, guest" — related to hospital, hospitality

Medical Definition

host

noun

ˈhōst

: a living organism on or in which a parasite lives see definitive host, host cell, intermediate host

: the larger, stronger, or dominant one of a commensal or symbiotic pair

: an individual into which a tissue or part is transplanted from another

: an individual in whom an abnormal growth (as a cancer) is proliferating

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host

noun (1)

verb (1)

noun (2)

noun (3)

verb (2)

Synonyms

Examples of host in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near host

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition