tour

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a journey for business, pleasure, or education often involving a series of stops and ending at the starting point
also : something resembling such a tour
a tour of the history of philosophy
b
: a series of professional tournaments (as in golf or tennis)
c
: a brief turn : round
2
a
: a period during which an individual or unit is on a specific duty or at one place
a tour of duty
b
: one's turn in an orderly schedule : shift

tour

2 of 2

verb

toured; touring; tours

transitive verb

1
: to make a tour of
2
: to present (something, such as a theatrical production) on a tour

intransitive verb

: to make a tour

Examples of tour in a Sentence

Noun We went on a tour of Italy. They went on a driving tour of New England. They went on a tour of the city. We were taken on a tour of the school. We went on a guided tour of the museum. They gave us a tour of their new house. during his tour in Vietnam He served a tour of duty in Germany. Verb We'll tour the museum tomorrow. We toured around for several weeks last summer. “Are you here to study?” “No, I'm just touring.” Is the band touring this year? The show has toured the country.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The two-hour tour (with optional picnicking time) is available Tuesday through Saturday from 10AM to 2PM. Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 The night before his assassination, Charlie Kirk and two of his producers were on Zoom getting ready to answer the questions about Israel that kept popping up on his college tour. Ben Smith, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
See the members of Earth, Wind & Fire, from their first years touring to their more recent appearances. Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025 Created in 2013 following the Fukushima earthquake as a symbol of hope, the Ark Nova had toured Japan four times before it was delivered to Switzerland for this year's Lucerne Festival, which ran from 8 August to 14 September. New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tour

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French tur, tourn turning, circuit, journey — more at turn

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Verb

1708, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of tour was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tour. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

tour

1 of 2 noun
ˈtu̇(ə)r How to pronounce tour (audio)
sense 1 is also
ˈtau̇(ə)r How to pronounce tour (audio)
1
a
: one's turn in a schedule
b
: a period of time during which one is on duty or in a certain place
2
: a trip usually ending at the point of beginning
a tour of the city
3
: a series of related sports events held regularly at varied locations
the golf tour

tour

2 of 2 verb
: to make a tour of : travel as a tourist

More from Merriam-Webster on tour

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