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 expansion comes on the heels of an important summer for the city's image, as the Republican National Convention runs July 15-18, and the center will play host to national and international news outlets.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 18 May 2024
The San Jose public school, which last reached a regional title match in 2016, will play host to Monta Vista on Saturday for the championship.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024
The Lancers’ baseball team plays host to Harvard-Westlake in the Division 1 semifinals on Tuesday night at Hart Park in Orange.
—Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 14 May 2024
At the top of Mastercard’s list for this summer is Munich, which is playing host to the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
In another summer tournament, the Current will play host to the Houston Dash and two Liga MX Femenil teams, Pachuca and Tigres.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2024
The 50th anniversary of the Festival de Cannes in 1997 played host to one the most dazzling Hollywood power couples of the ’90s: Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.
—Shannon L. Bowen, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 18 May 2024
The San Jose public school, which last reached a regional title match in 2016, will play host to Monta Vista on Saturday for the championship.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024
The Lancers’ baseball team plays host to Harvard-Westlake in the Division 1 semifinals on Tuesday night at Hart Park in Orange.
—Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 14 May 2024
At the top of Mastercard’s list for this summer is Munich, which is playing host to the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
In another summer tournament, the Current will play host to the Houston Dash and two Liga MX Femenil teams, Pachuca and Tigres.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2024
The 50th anniversary of the Festival de Cannes in 1997 played host to one the most dazzling Hollywood power couples of the ’90s: Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.
—Shannon L. Bowen, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play host to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Play host to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20host%20to. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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