6 N‑COUNT The host of a radio or television show is the person who introduces it and talks to the people who appear in it. □ [+ of ] I am host of a live radio programme.
7 VERB The person who hosts a radio or television show introduces it and talks to the people who appear in it. □ [V n] She also hosts a show on St Petersburg Radio.
8 QUANT A host of things is a lot of them. □ [+ of ] …a host of problems.
9 N‑COUNT [oft N n] A host or a host computer is the main computer in a network of computers, which controls the most important files and programs.
10 N‑COUNT [oft N n] The host of a parasite is the plant or animal which it lives on or inside and from which it gets its food. [TECHNICAL ] □ When the eggs hatch the larvae eat the living flesh of the host animal.
11 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The Host is the bread which is used to represent the body of Christ in Christian church services such as Holy Communion. [TECHNICAL ]
hos|tage ◆◆◇ /hɒ st I dʒ/ (hostages )
1 N‑COUNT A hostage is someone who has been captured by a person or organization and who may be killed or injured if people do not do what that person or organization demands.
2 PHRASE If someone is taken hostage or is held hostage , they are captured and kept as a hostage. □ He was taken hostage while on his first foreign assignment as a television journalist.
3 N‑VAR If you say you are hostage to something, you mean that your freedom to take action is restricted by things that you cannot control. □ [+ to ] The bank is shrewdly ensuring that in future it will not be a hostage to strict targets.
hos|tel /hɒ st ə l/ (hostels )
1 N‑COUNT A hostel is a large house where people can stay cheaply for a short period of time. Hostels are usually owned by local government authorities or charities. [mainly BRIT ]
2 → see also youth hostel
hos|tel|ry /hɒ st ə lri/ (hostelries ) N‑COUNT A hostelry is a pub or a hotel. [BRIT , FORMAL ]
host|ess /hoʊ st I s/ (hostesses )
1 N‑COUNT The hostess at a party is the woman who has invited the guests and provides the food, drink, or entertainment. □ The hostess introduced them.
2 N‑COUNT A hostess at a night club or dance hall is a woman who is paid by a man to be with him for the evening.
hos|tile /hɒ sta I l, [AM ] -t ə l/
1 ADJ If you are hostile to another person or an idea, you disagree with them or disapprove of them, often showing this in your behaviour. □ [+ to ] Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention. □ [+ to/towards ] The West has gradually relaxed its hostile attitude to this influential state.
2 ADJ Someone who is hostile is unfriendly and aggressive. □ They usually relate in a cold and hostile way to the world.
3 ADJ Hostile situations and conditions make it difficult for you to achieve something. □ The world's trading environment is likely to become increasingly hostile.
4 ADJ A hostile takeover bid is one that is opposed by the company that is being bid for. [BUSINESS ] □ The Malaysian tycoon launched a hostile bid.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] In a war, you use hostile to describe your enemy's forces, organizations, weapons, land, and activities. □ The city is encircled by a hostile army.
hos|til|ities /hɒst I l I tiz/ N‑PLURAL You can refer to fighting between two countries or groups who are at war as hostilities . [FORMAL ] □ The authorities have urged people to stock up on fuel in case hostilities break out.
hos|til|ity /hɒst I l I ti/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Hostility is unfriendly or aggressive behaviour towards people or ideas. □ [+ to/towards ] The last decade has witnessed a serious rise in the levels of racism and hostility to Black and ethnic groups.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Your hostility to something you do not approve of is your opposition to it. □ [+ to/towards ] There is hostility among traditionalists to this method of teaching history.
hot ◆◆◇ /hɒ t/ (hotter , hottest , hots , hotting , hotted )
1 ADJ Something that is hot has a high temperature. □ When the oil is hot, add the sliced onion. □ What he needed was a hot bath and a good sleep.
2 ADJ Hot is used to describe the weather or the air in a room or building when the temperature is high. □ It was too hot even for a gentle stroll. □ It was a hot, humid summer day.
3 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are hot , you feel as if your body is at an unpleasantly high temperature. □ I was too hot and tired to eat more than a few mouthfuls.
4 ADJ You can say that food is hot when it has a strong, burning taste caused by chillies, pepper, or ginger. □ …hot curries. □ …a dish that's spicy but not too hot.
5 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A hot issue or topic is one that is very important at the present time and is receiving a lot of publicity. [JOURNALISM ] □ The role of women in war is a hot topic of debate.
6 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Hot news is new, recent, and fresh. [INFORMAL ] □ …eight pages of the latest movies and the hot news from Tinseltown.
7 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You can use hot to describe something that is very exciting and that many people want to see, use, obtain, or become involved with. [INFORMAL ] □ The hottest show in town was the Monet Exhibition at the Art Institute.