tour
Americannoun
-
a traveling around from place to place.
-
a long journey including the visiting of a number of places in sequence, especially with an organized group led by a guide.
- Synonyms:
- expedition, trip
-
a brief trip through a place, as a building or a site, in order to view or inspect it.
The visiting prime minister was given a tour of the chemical plant.
-
a journey from town to town to fulfill engagements, as by a theatrical company or an entertainer.
to go on tour; a European concert tour.
-
a period of duty at one place or in one job.
verb (used without object)
-
to travel from place to place.
- Synonyms:
- visit
-
to travel from town to town fulfilling engagements.
verb (used with object)
-
to travel through (a place).
- Synonyms:
- visit
-
to send or take (a theatrical company, its production, etc.) from town to town.
-
to guide (someone) on a tour.
He toured us through the chateaus of the Loire Valley.
noun
-
an extended journey, usually taken for pleasure, visiting places of interest along the route
-
military a period of service, esp in one place of duty
-
a short trip, as for inspection
-
a trip made by a theatre company, orchestra, etc, to perform in several different places
a concert tour
-
an overseas trip made by a cricket or rugby team, etc, to play in several places
verb
-
to make a tour of (a place)
-
to perform (a show) or promote (a product) in several different places
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
toursimple
-
tourssimple
-
have touredperfect
-
has touredperfect
-
am touringprogressive
-
are touringprogressive
-
is touringprogressive
-
have been touringperfect progressive
-
has been touringperfect progressive
Past
-
touredsimple
-
had touredperfect
-
was touringprogressive
-
were touringprogressive
-
had been touringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tour
1250–1300; Middle English (noun) < Middle French < Latin tornus < Greek tórnos tool for making a circle. See turn
Explanation
Use the noun tour to describe a route taken while sight-seeing or the act of experiencing a place, like a tour of Italy in which travelers tour museums and churches. Not all tours have to do with vacations. In fact, a tour can be quite the opposite, such as a snowplow driver whose tour during a blizzard lasts until the streets are clear, or military personnel who serve a tour of duty in the place they are assigned. These kinds of tours involve a commitment of work or service for a certain period of time.
Vocabulary lists containing tour
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"Earth and Space"
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Grisetti portrayed Nigel Bottom from 2017 to 2018 for the show’s national tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
He also said striker Nicolas Jackson will return to the squad for at least the club's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia after Bayern Munich decided against making his loan move permanent.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Their ongoing creative alliance is the result of a genuine friendship between them that started in 2018 when Stillz was first hired as Bad Bunny’s tour photographer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
In March, she took time off from Legally Blonde - which is on tour until January - because she had been battling a "lingering illness".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
After each tour, a member of the Soviet delegation would slip back into the factory to photograph the equipment.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Some colleges track whether students visit their website; how long they spend on virtual campus tours; or whether they open emailed links, said Brett Schraeder, who works on enrollment modeling for EAB, an education-consulting firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Some argue that latter case is already closed, given the competitiveness of Pogacar’s era and his range of successes in everything from grand tours to one-day flyers like Milan San Remo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
In addition to her albums, Tyler embarked on several tours, most recently her Between the Earth and the Stars live tour in 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Should you need to return home early, don’t expect reimbursements from your travel agent or the hotels or tours you paid for.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Yes, I think they have people coming down all the time—regular tours through the home as a kind of public relations thing. But why?”
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Among them are potential buyers who have toured condominiums in Century City, where some of the region’s most luxurious condo towers stand, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
As well as his Wales exploits, he toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2013 and 2017, playing three Tests and scoring two brilliant tries in the series win against Australia.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Tom Dreesen, the veteran stand-up comedian who toured with Frank Sinatra, combated civil rights-era racial tension with comedy, and championed pay for fellow Comedy Store acts, has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
WSJ’s Sebastian Modak, Nick Mafi and Adam Chandler toured the city to find bars for each of the 48 nations playing in the World Cup this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
"I knew him well and loved him, and I was there. "We had toured through several states to which he was carrying the message.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
She's currently playing lead character Elle Woods in the production of Legally Blonde touring the UK and Ireland.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Every touring artist that comes through the venue — and there are more than 130 shows scheduled this summer — uses the house system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Since the economy reopened after pandemic lockdowns, costs for touring — the primary income source for many artists — have risen, making performing more difficult for smaller acts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
The No. 4 touring act for the first half of this year is AC/DC, according to Pollstar, coming in behind Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga and BTS in worldwide ticket sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
I was off becoming a comedian, touring the country, playing shows in England, hosting radio shows, hosting television shows.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
