Airbnb
name, noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The system of renting out apartments by means of an intermediary website, popularized by the company of the same name. uncountable
"It's more of an Airbnb model than a proper let."
- 2 Alternative form of Airbnb. alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
- 3 Alternative form of Airbnb. alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
- 4 An apartment offered for renting by means of this system. countable
"I am staying at an Airbnb for the summer."
- 1 To rent (an apartment) by Airbnb or similar means, whether as a lessor or a lessee. neologism, transitive
"Jamie Wong […] told me: “I moved out of my apartment in central San Francisco, rented a cheaper annex in a friend’s home, and ‘airbnb-ed’ my apartment for $200 a night and earned about $20,000 in a year. It enabled me to bootstrap my start-up. Airbnb was our first round of funding!”"
- 2 To pursue this activity by Airbnb or similar means, whether as a lessor or a lessee. intransitive, neologism
"Somehow, we imagine, Mariah Carey’s Airbnb experience is going to be slightly different. Carey is, per Page Six, going to be renting a $10,000-per-night property on Malibu’s “Billionaires’ Beach,” […] Page Six says that she will be Airbnb-ing at least until the end of August, when she leaves for a concert in Israel."
- 1 An online vacation rental marketplace, operated by Airbnb, Inc.
Example
More examples"Alberto booked an Airbnb by himself."
Etymology
Shortening of the company's former name AirBed & Breakfast, coined by co-founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia in 2007, who originally came up with the idea of putting an air mattress in their living room and turning it into a bed and breakfast. Equivalent to air + B&B (“bed and breakfast”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.