tourist

American  

[toor-ist] / ˈtʊər ɪst /

noun

1. a person who is traveling, especially for pleasure.

2. tourist class.

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adverb

1. in tourist-class accommodations, or by tourist-class conveyance.

   to travel tourist.

tourist British  

/ ˈtʊərɪst /

noun

1. 1. a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels

   2. ( as modifier )

      tourist attractions

2. a person on an excursion or sightseeing tour

3. a person travelling abroad as a member of a sports team that is playing a series of usually international matches

4. Also called: tourist class.  the lowest class of accommodation on a passenger ship

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adjective

1. of or relating to tourist accommodation

Other Word Forms

• nontourist noun
• touristic adjective

Etymology

Origin of tourist

First recorded in 1770–80; tour + -ist

Example Sentences

One snippet seems to be an episode on Elisa Lam, the real-life tourist found dead in the rooftop water tank of Los Angeles’ Cecil Hotel.

From Los Angeles Times

Traffic congestion snarled the area as office workers and tourists were blocked from passing through.

From Barron's

While China has completely reopened from the pandemic, North Korea has been doing so slowly, allowing a limited number of tourists to enter from 2024.

From BBC

More than 50% of Disneyland’s visitors are California residents, helping offset a decline in international tourists to Disney’s U.S. theme parks.

From Los Angeles Times

The fire brigade in Dresden says this is the city's largest evacuation to date for such an incident, affecting around 18,000 residents, tourists and commuters.

From BBC

Related Words

• sightseer
• traveler
• visitor