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

Every one of the moon's larger impact sites would have once played host to a bright ray system like Tycho, though exposure to the harsh space environment has since caused many to fade. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2025

From tiny shorebirds to formidable raptors, the Outer Banks plays host to a staggering array of bird species thanks to its varied collection of habitats, with estuaries, salt marshes and maritime woodlands found all across the region. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025

This week, Lake Tahoe played host to the largest celebrity golf tournament of the year, the American Century Championship. —Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025

In July 1925, the small town of Dayton, Tennessee played host to one of the most high-profile trials of its day. —Rachel Wegner, USA Today, 11 July 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