tourist
Americannoun
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a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels
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( as modifier )
tourist attractions
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a person on an excursion or sightseeing tour
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a person travelling abroad as a member of a sports team that is playing a series of usually international matches
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Also called: tourist class. the lowest class of accommodation on a passenger ship
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tourist
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.
Vocabulary lists containing tourist
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 21–August 27, 2021
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Travel
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 5–February 11, 2022
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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:
That pattern was important because it indicated that the carbon was part of the original pigment rather than contamination left by later graffiti, visitors, or tourist activity inside the cave.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The fire, which began on Wednesday, has burned more than 100,000 acres in the Gironde region, a popular tourist destination, and destroyed 240 houses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
All 10 bodies were found outside Zacatecas city, the state capital and a major tourist draw, featuring colonial-era churches and other attractions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The historic El Escorial monastery -- a major tourist attraction -- was shrouded in a grayish, smoke-filled mist.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Their stately homes—Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, and the Hermitage—are major tourist attractions.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
We wanted to show something beyond what tourists see.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"The tourists don't feel welcome, the second home owners don't feel welcome," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Europe experienced lackluster demand from tourists during the quarter, Chief Financial Officer Cecile Cabanis said in an earnings call.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"I urge tourists not to come, not to travel to the Gironde," added Sophie Brocas.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Between airport security, government surveillance, and tourists taking vacation snaps, you were bound to have your picture taken multiple times.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
