Definition of tour noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

tour

noun

/tʊə(r)/,

/tɔː(r)/

/tʊr/

a journey made for pleasure during which several different towns, countries, etc. are visited
- a walking/sightseeing/bus tour
- tour of/round/around something a coach tour of northern France
- They embarked on a tour around the country.
- a tour operator (= a person or company that organizes tours)
Synonyms trip
tripjourney ▪ tour ▪ expedition ▪ excursion ▪ outing ▪ day outThese are all words for an act of travelling to a place.
trip an act of travelling from one place to another, and usually back again:
a business trip
a five-minute trip by taxi
journey an act of travelling from one place to another, especially when they are a long way apart:
a long and difficult journey across the mountains
trip or journey?A trip usually involves you going to a place and back again; a journey is usually one-way. A trip is often shorter than a journey, although it does not have to be: a trip to New York • a round-the-world trip. It is often short in time, even if it is long in distance. Journey is more often used when the travelling takes a long time and is difficult. In North American English journey is not used for short trips (British English) Don't use the car for short journeys.
tour a journey made for pleasure during which several different places are visited:
a tour of Bavaria
expedition an organized journey with a particular purpose, especially to find out about a place that is not well known:
the first expedition to the South Pole
excursion a short trip made for pleasure, especially one that has been organized for a group of people:
We went on an all-day excursion to the island.
outing a short trip made for pleasure or education, usually with a group of people and lasting no more than a day:
The children were on a day’s outing from school.
day out a trip to somewhere for a day, especially for pleasure:
We had a day out at the beach.
Patterns
- a(n) foreign/overseas trip/journey/tour/expedition
- a bus/coach/train/rail trip/journey/tour
- to go on a(n) trip/journey/tour/expedition/excursion/outing/day out
- to set out/off on a(n) trip/journey/tour/expedition/excursion
- to make a(n) trip/journey/tour/expedition/excursion
Collocations Travel and tourism
Travel and tourismHolidays/vacations
- have/take (British English) a holiday/(North American English) a vacation/a break/a day off/(British English) a gap year
- go on/be on holiday/vacation/leave/honeymoon/safari/a trip/a tour/a cruise/a pilgrimage
- go backpacking/camping/hitchhiking/sightseeing
- plan a trip/a holiday/a vacation/your itinerary
- book accommodation/a hotel room/a flight/tickets
- have/make/cancel a reservation/(especially British English) booking
- rent a villa/(both British English) a holiday home/a holiday cottage
- (especially British English) hire/ (especially North American English) rent a car/bicycle/moped
- stay in a hotel/a bed and breakfast/a youth hostel/a villa/(both British English) a holiday home/a caravan
- cost/charge $100 a/per night for a single/double/twin/standard/(British English) en suite room
- check into/out of a hotel/a motel/your room
- pack/unpack your suitcase/bags
- call/order room service
- cancel/cut short a trip/holiday/vacation
Foreign travel
- apply for/get/renew a/your passport
- take out/buy/get travel insurance
- catch/miss your plane/train/ferry/connecting flight
- fly (in)/travel in business/economy class
- make/have a brief/two-day/twelve-hour stopover/(North American English also) layover in Hong Kong
- experience/cause/lead to delays
- check (in)/collect/get/lose (your) (especially British English) luggage/(especially North American English) baggage
- be charged for/pay excess baggage
- board/get on/leave/get off the aircraft/plane/ship/ferry
- taxi down/leave/approach/hit/overshoot the runway
- experience/hit/encounter severe turbulence
- suffer from/recover from/get over your jet lag/travel sickness
The tourist industry
- attract/draw/bring tourists/visitors
- encourage/promote/hurt tourism
- promote/develop ecotourism
- build/develop/visit a tourist/holiday/(especially British English) seaside/beach/ski resort
- work for/be operated by a major hotel chain
- be served by/compete with low-cost/(especially North American English) low-fare/budget airlines
- book something through/make a booking through/use a travel agent
- contact/check with your travel agent/tour operator
- book/be on/go on a package deal/holiday/tour
- buy/bring back (tacky/overpriced) souvenirs
see also grand tour, package tour, whistle-stop
Extra Examples
- We met a group of Italians on a tour in Peru.
- They made a whistle-stop tour of the five major towns.
- This summer we went on a walking tour around Provence.
- We're going on a tour of Bavaria.
- You can join an organized tour or you can visit independently.
- I'd like to do a tour of Belgium on foot.
Topics Holidaysa2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- foreign
- international
- national
- …
… of tour
- leg
- part
- stage
- …
verb + tour
- do
- go on
- make
- …
tour + noun
- company
- operator
- date
- …
preposition
- on (a) tour
- tour of
phrases
- tour of duty
See full entry
Definitions on the go

Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
an act of walking around a town, building, etc. in order to visit it
- We were given a guided tour (= by somebody who knows about the place) of the palace.
- a virtual tour (= shown on a computer) of the Taj Mahal
- a tour of inspection (= an official visit of a factory, classroom, etc. made by somebody whose job is to check that everything is working as expected)
- a tour guide
- tour of/round/around something Our host gave us a quick tour of the house.
Extra Examples
- Come on, I'll give you the grand tour of the backyard.
- I made a lightning tour of the office to say goodbye.
- She takes tourists on ghost tours of Edinburgh.
- The next tour will begin at four o'clock.
- Garden tours are offered throughout the summer.
- After a whirlwind tour of the temples, it was time to find a hotel.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- brief
- quick
- extensive
- …
verb + tour
- do
- make
- conduct
- …
tour + noun
- guide
- group
- boat
- …
phrases
- tour of inspection
See full entry
an official series of visits made to different places by a sports team, an orchestra, an important person, etc.
- The band is currently on a nine-day tour of France.
- on tour The band is on tour in France.
- a concert tour
- a world/European/UK tour
- a tour bus
- The prince will visit Boston on the last leg (= part) of his American tour.
- a book/lecture/speaking tour
- Are you doing a tour for this new book?
- The group will shortly go on a ten-city European tour.
- We are going back to Prague as part of a small tour.
Extra Examples
- The president embarked on a whirlwind tour of the provinces.
- Simon and Garfunkel's 2003 reunion tour
- The band is just back from a sell-out Asian tour.
- The group will shortly go on a ten-city European tour.
- a promotional tour for her new book
- the couple's first official overseas tour
- Dolly Parton's tour bus
- He wasn't selected for England's tour party to Australia.
- Phone for details of the band's tour dates.
- The team's tour manager called a press conference.
Topics Musica2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- foreign
- international
- national
- …
… of tour
- leg
- part
- stage
- …
verb + tour
- do
- go on
- make
- …
tour + noun
- company
- operator
- date
- …
preposition
- on (a) tour
- tour of
phrases
- tour of duty
See full entry
(sport) (in golf, tennis and some other sports) a series of competitions organized for professional players
- on the tour He's been on the European tour for several years.
- The stand-off between the competing tours needs to be resolved.
- She's one of the most popular tour players.
Topics Sports: other sportsc2
(also tour of duty)
a period of time when somebody is serving in the military or as a diplomat in a particular place
- He served tours all over the world during his 35-year career.

Word OriginMiddle English (originally referring to a tour of duty; also denoting a circular movement): from Old French, ‘turn’, via Latin from Greek tornos ‘lathe’. Sense 1 dates from the mid 17th cent.

See tour in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee tour in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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trait

noun

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