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

Tuesday's midterm elections catapulted Democratic Senate and gubernatorial candidates to statewide victories in Republican strongholds like Ohio and Texas, both of which play host to a number of AI data centers. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

For the third consecutive season, the Kansas City Current will play host to a National Women’s Soccer League playoff match. — Pj Green november 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Nov. 2026

Endeavour played host to two important firsts in the American space program. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Game 3 was moved up by one day to Wednesday, rescheduled from Thursday, when State Farm played host to a Sombr concert. — David K. Li, NBC news, 26 Oct. 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