tourist

American  

[toor-ist] / ˈtʊər ɪst /

noun

• tourists
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• nontourist
  noun
• touristic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tourists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tourist

First recorded in 1770–80; tour + -ist

Explanation

Someone who visits a city, town, or historic site just for the pleasure of exploring it can be described as a tourist. When you travel for fun, you're a tourist. Some local inhabitants of vacation destinations might have a negative image of obnoxious, camera-toting tourists, but really they're just travelers who are curious about different parts of the world. Beaches, amusement parks, castles, and big cities are all places you're likely to run into tourists. The term "tourist trap," or a place that exists only to take tourists' money, was first used in 1939 by the novelist Graham Greene.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tourist tourists

Spain's cherished tourist hotspot of Granada was in shock on Saturday after a rare 5.0-magnitude earthquake woke residents in the middle of the night and damaged buildings.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, Contango’s chief executive, said the company is designing the project to avoid environmental risks and bypass key tourist areas, such as brown-bear viewing sites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

And unfortunately for Tom — but luckily for the show’s fans — those supernatural forces have been reawakened, just in time for the summer tourist season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Sleepy villages that would normally never feature in a typical tourist itinerary have suddenly found themselves inundated with eclipse hunters from around the world.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

“I’m very glad I could help you two save a library from turning into a cheap, Floo-powdered World of Wizardry tourist trap,” she continued, her voice shaky.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

“Since Covid, business has been falling and individual tourists stopped coming,” said Zakariah Mashriqi, 47, who runs a family-owned antiquities shop in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Facing the sea, Havana's famous Malecon seawall has ceased to be a promenade for tourists or lovers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Around 1,200 residents and tourists were evacuated, while 10 people were in intensive care in hospital, the prime minister said.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Egypt is poised for further growth, while demand for trips to Turkey rebounded after hotels cut prices to entice budget-conscious tourists, according to the chief of the German travel group .

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The Soviets were infamous for planting evidence on tourists.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• sightseer
• traveler
• visitor