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Host

v. kind, energetic warm

What it means

Meaning 1

To receive and care for guests or visitors.

Reach for it when describing active welcome and practical responsibility for other people

Three families will host the visiting musicians for the weekend.

Meaning 2

To organize, provide the setting for, or present an event or service.

Reach for it when assigning responsibility for making a gathering or resource available

The library will host a free repair workshop on Saturday.

Words to choose between 7

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
playful
everyday
warm
professional
formal

Meaning 1: To receive and care for guests or visitors.

  • everyday

    entertain

    Fits when food, conversation, or activity is provided socially

    Careful Entertain suggests amusement and may burden a simple overnight stay.

  • warm

    welcome

    Fits when the act of receiving people kindly is most important

    Careful Welcoming does not include lodging or continued responsibility for guests.

  • formal

    accommodate

    Fits when providing space or lodging is the concrete duty

    Careful Accommodation can be purely logistical and need not feel hospitable.

  • formal

    receive

    Fits when official arrival and courteous acknowledgment are intended

    Careful Receive ends at admission and says little about care afterward.

Meaning 2: To organize, provide the setting for, or present an event or service.

  • playful

    put on

    Fits when informal language suits arranging a public event

    Careful Put on is conversational and weakens a formal institutional commitment.

  • professional

    organize

    Fits when planning and coordination are the main responsibilities

    Careful An organizer may never present or provide the event setting.

  • professional

    present

    Fits when bringing a program before an audience is the relevant role

    Careful Present can mean speaking, while a host may work mostly behind the scenes.

Opposites 4

  • turn away
  • evict
  • cancel
  • withdraw

Common phrases 3

  • host a guest

    The residence can host a guest in an accessible ground-floor room.

  • host an event

    The cooperative will host an event for new growers.

  • host a workshop

    Our lab will host a workshop on safe battery repair.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Naomi Persephone Amethyst, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated