What does hosted mean?
Hosted is the past tense and past participle of host and is also used as an adjective. Its central sense is that something has been provided, organized, or supported by a host: a company may host a conference, a performer may host a broadcast, or a venue may host an exhibition. In digital contexts, hosted describes content, software, or services supplied through a hosting provider. For example, a web-hosted application runs on someone else's servers, while a hosted document is available through an online service that stores and delivers it. The word can also appear after by to identify the person or organization responsible for an event or presentation, as in hosted by the museum. Hosted generally has a neutral connotation, although its meaning varies with context: it may suggest generous provision when applied to guests or events, dependable operation when applied to services, and professional infrastructure when applied to websites. Understanding the distinction between hosted and posted is especially useful online, because content can be hosted without being published or displayed publicly.
The past tense and past participle of host, used for events, guests, broadcasts, or services that a person or organization provides or organizes.
"The network hosted the debate live from its main studio."
When used after by, hosted identifies the person or organization responsible for providing the event, program, or service.
Relating to something provided, organized, maintained, or made available by a host or hosting service.
"Visitors can access the hosted application without installing additional software."
Common in computing and event-related expressions such as hosted website, hosted service, and hosted event.
A page can be hosted and remain private; posting it is what makes it visible.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hosted come from?
Hosted ultimately derives from host, which entered Middle English from Old French oste, meaning lodging or inn, and from Latin hospitem, the accusative form of hospes, meaning guest or host. The Latin root also produced words including hospital, hotel, hostile, and hostel. The form hosted was created by adding the usual English past-tense and past-participle ending -ed to host.
Related word forms
How hosted is actually used
Hosted is neutral and widely used in both formal and informal contexts. In computing, it can describe where software or data reside without implying that the content is open to the public.
Easily confused with hosted
Hosted indicates that content or an application is stored and made available by a provider, whereas posted usually means that it has been published or submitted to a platform.