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

Damrosch Park has previously played host to concerts, events for the New York Film Festival and more. —Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2024

Last night, however, the breathtaking space played host to a celebratory dinner to launch Tiffany Titan, a collection designed by Williams. —José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 3 May 2024

In Sunday’s AdventHealth 400, nearly a year to the day later, the track in Kansas City, Kansas played host to the closest finish in NASCAR history. —Todd Engle, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2024

That’s when the city plays host to the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary May 9-12 with a program of a dozen classic films from the 1940s and ’50s. —Chris Willman, Variety, 6 May 2024

And then there was the King’s Trust Gala at Casa Cipriani, which played host to Kate Moss, Emily Ratajkowski, Irina Shayk, Laverne Cox, Helena Christensen, and Iris Law. —Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 3 May 2024

The cellar-dwelling San Jose Earthquakes will try to include a win as part of their early Cinco de Mayo weekend celebrations when the team plays host to Los Angeles FC on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, some six miles from their usual home at PayPal Park by the San Jose airport. —Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024

This isn’t the first time the London Eye has played host to a pop culture spectacle. —Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2024

The Patriots play host to Chatsworth on Thursday, then face Granada Hills in a two-game series next week to end the regular season. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above