diff --git a/man5/host.conf.5 b/man5/host.conf.5
index 1f65840..15e9aa7 100644
--- a/man5/host.conf.5
+++ b/man5/host.conf.5
@@ -65,9 +65,9 @@ appears in the
 file,
 instead of only the first.
 This is
-.I off
-by default, as it may cause a substantial performance loss at sites
-with large hosts files.
+.I on
+by default.
+On systems with DNS, hosts files are much smaller and the performance loss of multiple search is negligible. On sites with large hosts files, turning it on may cause a substantial performance loss.
 .TP
 .I reorder
 Valid values are