on tour Definition

tour
noun

1a. An extended journey round an area, country, etc with stops at various places of interest along the route and which usually returns to the starting-point at the end;

Thesaurus: expedition, trip, drive, journey, circuit, course, progress.
1b. A journey through France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy that was formerly undertaken by wealthy or aristocratic young men as the culmination of their education.

Form: the Tour
Form: the Grand Tour
2. A visit round a particular place.

Example: a tour of the cathedral
Thesaurus: excursion, trip, drive, jaunt, circuit.
3. A journey round a place with frequent stops for business or professional engagements along the route, eg by a theatre company, a sports team visiting from abroad, a rock group, etc.
4a. An official period of duty or military service, especially abroad;

Example: did a tour of duty in Germany
4b. The time spent on this kind of duty or service.

verb, tr & intr toured, touring

1. To travel round (a place).

Thesaurus: travel, explore, visit, sightsee, ride, drive.
2. Said of a theatre company, band, performer, etc: to travel from place to place giving performances.

Idiom: on tour

Said of a theatre company, band, performer, sports team, etc: playing a series of specified venues (around an area, country, etc).

Derivative: touring
adj, noun

Etymology: 13c: from French tor, from Greek tornos tool for making circles.