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tour of duty

American  
[toor uhv doo-tee, dyoo-tee] / ˈtʊər əv ˈdu ti, ˈdyu ti /

noun

  1. a period of military service in a particular theater of war, with a particular unit, or assigned to a particular task.

    He volunteered for two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

  2. a period of work or service in a particular role, field, workplace, etc.; tour.

    After a tour of duty in banking, she followed her father into the development company.

Etymology

Origin of tour of duty

First recorded in 1865–70

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.

When his tour of duty was over, the Englishman moved to California and saw the dark aftermath of the Summer of Love.

From Slate • Dec. 23, 2025

While on their tour of duty, the judges decide on FBI requests to wiretap alleged foreign spies.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2025

Luke Shipman never remembered the nights he was screaming in terror after a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2025

After a four-year tour of duty that included a posting in Japan, he got a job at Lockheed Martin, where he worked for the next 45 years, she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2025

Hungry Joe could no longer stand the strain of waiting for shipping orders and crumbled promptly into ruin every time he finished another tour of duty.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

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.