play host to

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 stadium would play host to at least three national pickleball tournaments a year, which Shalabi predicted would bring between 15,000 and 20,000 players and spectators at a time. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026

This Mexican state that’s perched on the Pacific coast has played host to two previous iterations of the world’s biggest sporting event throughout the decades (in 1970 and 1986, to be exact). — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 23 July 2026

Trump recently attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, while the White House played host to UFC Freedom 250 last month. — Ryan Gaydos , Sarah Tobianski, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026

In Citrus County, where a small town was slated to play host to Florida’s first hyperscale data center, opponents of the project packed the commission and exceeded its overflow room, the Tampa Bay Times reported. — Alexandra Phelps, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026

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