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
The area, with an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet, plays host to all freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions and has three hotels that were transformed into an Olympic village.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 12 Feb. 2026
The second-year home of the Clippers gets its Hollywood closeup Sunday, playing host to the NBA All-Star Game and showing off to a national audience what’s widely regarded as America’s most modern and luxurious arena.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 12 Feb. 2026
Three Rivers Stadium, while the home of the Pirates, also played host to the World Series in 1971 and 1979 and hosted Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in 1974 and 1994.
—Mike Darnay, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Just before the Winter Olympics kicked off, Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Dolomite town that will play host to a number of the Games’ alpine events, received a healthy dusting of fresh snow, easing earlier concerns about snow reliability after a warm start to the winter.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
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Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 12 Feb. 2026
The second-year home of the Clippers gets its Hollywood closeup Sunday, playing host to the NBA All-Star Game and showing off to a national audience what’s widely regarded as America’s most modern and luxurious arena.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 12 Feb. 2026
Three Rivers Stadium, while the home of the Pirates, also played host to the World Series in 1971 and 1979 and hosted Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in 1974 and 1994.
—Mike Darnay, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Just before the Winter Olympics kicked off, Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Dolomite town that will play host to a number of the Games’ alpine events, received a healthy dusting of fresh snow, easing earlier concerns about snow reliability after a warm start to the winter.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
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 14 Feb. 2026.
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