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
Ira SilverSt. 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
Jon DrapeThe grasslands play host to [=provide a home for] long-billed curlews and sage grouse, and eagles, osprey and coyotes scavenge the area.—Kay Clark
Kay ClarkExamples of play host to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their home arena playing host to the NBA All-Star Game and NCAA Sweet 16 forced them onto the road for more than a week at a time twice in the final two months of the season.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
His Nuggets will play host to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs at 2:30 p.m. Central on Saturday on ESPN.
Braun, 23, played at KU from 2020-22.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2025
Augusta National will play host to 95 of the top golfers on the planet this weekend, and only one will don the famous green jacket early Sunday evening.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The Play Playground will play host to a video game tournament on Friday hosted by WWE’s Mike Rome.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play host to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
His Nuggets will play host to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs at 2:30 p.m. Central on Saturday on ESPN.
Braun, 23, played at KU from 2020-22.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2025
Augusta National will play host to 95 of the top golfers on the planet this weekend, and only one will don the famous green jacket early Sunday evening.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The Play Playground will play host to a video game tournament on Friday hosted by WWE’s Mike Rome.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play host to
Cite this Entry
“Play host to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20host%20to. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share