What does "tourist" mean?

1. (leisure traveller) someone who visits a place for pleasure or interest, rather than for work. 2. (superficial participant) someone who has only a shallow or temporary interest in a hobby or group. 3. (visiting sports player) a member of a sports team that is travelling to play matches away from home.

tourist

US //ˈtʊɹəst// UK //tˈɔːɹɪst// tourist

1 leisure traveller (n.)
A1 Beginner

someone who visits a place for pleasure or interest, rather than for work.

a person who travels for recreation or culture, typically staying for a short period.

Example

The city is always full of tourists during the summer months.

Example

Local businesses rely heavily on the influx of international tourists who visit the historic district during the peak holiday season.
- traveller
- sightseer
- visitor
- local
- resident
2 superficial participant (n.)
C1 Advanced Informal Slang

someone who has only a shallow or temporary interest in a hobby or group.

a person who engages with a subculture or community superficially without deep commitment or understanding.

Example

The long-time fans called him a tourist because he only liked the band's most famous song.

Example

In the coding community, he was dismissed as a tourist who only cared about the latest trends rather than the underlying architecture.

Teacher's tip

This sense is often derogatory; it implies the person doesn't truly belong or hasn't 'earned' their place in the group.
- poseur
- dabbler
- expert
- insider

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3 visiting sports player (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate British English Informal Sport

a member of a sports team that is travelling to play matches away from home.

a member of a visiting athletic team, especially in the context of an international tour.

Example

The Australian tourists are playing a series of matches against the local team this month.

Example

The tourists struggled to adapt to the humid conditions during the first leg of their international cricket tour.
- visitor
- home player

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terh₁-der. Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos)bor. Latin tornus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin tornō Old French torner Old French tourder. English tour Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ίζω (-ízō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ιστής (-istḗs)der. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English tourist From tour + -ist. Doublet of turista.