play host to

idiomatic phrase

: to serve as a host for (someone or something)

Each year, the city plays host to the film festival for one week.

As travel to the Third World has expanded, so, too, has concern about the damage wrought by mass tourism on the people and places that play host to wandering North Americans and Europeans.

—Ira Silver

St. John's meets No. 3-ranked Duke and the Big East rival Miami on the road, and will play host to No. 4 Syracuse, No. 13 Connecticut and surging Seton Hall at the Garden.

—Jon Drape

The grasslands play host to [=provide a home for] long-billed curlews and sage grouse, and eagles, osprey and coyotes scavenge the area.

—Kay Clark

Examples of play host to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Red Sox will play host to the Yankees in late April, which could be Gray's first chance to pitch on Boston's side of the rivalry. —Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025

Part of The Set collection of hotels, Hotel Café Royal has played host to everyone from Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill, to Princess Diana, Mick Jagger and David Bowie, and the property continues to be a destination for celebrities and the creative class today. —Tim Chan, HollywoodReporter, 2 Dec. 2025

Mizzou returns to the hardwood on Tuesday, playing host to South Carolina State at Mizzou Arena. —The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 Nov. 2025

That under-the-radar vibe is sure to begin shifting in 2026, when the region plays host to the first annual Climate Biennial, with exhibitions throughout the town of Avilés, and welcomes astrotourists seeking a bucolic place from which to see the total eclipse on August 12. —Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for play host to

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue