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Meaning of tour in English
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- break-journey
- circumnavigation
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
- She spent three months touring her empire .
- The prime minister toured the flooded regions .
- I spent a month touring round Europe .
- around Robin Hood's barn idiom
- communication
- public transport
- super-commuting
- transoceanic
- well travelled
Related word
Tour | american dictionary, tour | business english, examples of tour, collocations with tour.
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to move the pedals (= parts you operate with your feet) backwards on a bicycle
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Tour - pronunciation: audio and phonetic transcription
American english:, /tur/ phonetic spelling.
British English:
/taw/ phonetic spelling.
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Pronunciations of the word 'tour'
Pronunciation of 'tour'.
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Information
Us english pronunciations, key to pronunciation.
Pronunciation Model
Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence petal /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but petally /ˈpɛdl̩.i// .
Other symbols
The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that the syllable is pronounced with primary stress. The symbol ˌ indicates secondary stress. Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within is optional.
The principles underpinning the OED ’s U.S. English pronunciations are those of Professor William Kretzschmar, co-editor of The Oxford Dictionary of Pronunciation for Current English (Upton, Kretzschmar & Konopka 2001, hereafter CDP ), who also directly consulted on many OED entries. CDP and its descendant, the Routledge Dictionary of Pronunciation for Current English (Upton & Kretzschmar 2017, hereafter RDP ) continue to be key sources for U.S. English, along with American sources such as Merriam-Webster, and the U.S. pronunciations in the pronouncing dictionaries of Wells (2008) and Jones et al . (2011). As with most OED pronunciation models, consideration is also given to the Varieties of English descriptions of relevant phonologies, in this case primarily the description of ‘Standard American English’ (Kretzschmar 2008), which sets the context of colonial settlement, expansion and urbanization spreading west, and the effect of demographic shifts in the 20 th century.
A generally agreed standard for spoken U.S. English does not exist in quite the same way as ‘Received Pronunciation’ does for British English. Kretzschmar views ‘General American’ as an erroneous term, with educationally-determined standards of pronunciation varying considerably between different regions of the USA. However, he considers the trend among ‘younger educated speakers’ towards the suppression of strongly region-marked features in more formal contexts, and this is the focus of the U.S. model in RDP and similarly OED . It is beyond our scope to explore the full range of regional U.S. accents and what is included or excluded in relation to each, but several key features are detailed below. ‘[Standard American English] can best be characterized as what is left over after speakers suppress the regional and social features that have risen to salience and become noticeable’ (Kretzschmar 2008, p.43). Salience in this respect is subjective and variable, resulting in ‘a linguistic continuum for American English in which no region or social group has pride of place’ (though a key exception is noted regarding Southern American English).
Subtle developments to the evolving OED U.S. English model build on Kretzschmar’s CDP / RDP approach, influenced both by the specific lexicographical demands and remit of the OED , and the nature of the natural language evidence that editors can now access, particularly in relation to many of the exceptionally low-frequency or more specialist terms. For example, the CDP / RDP difference between the vowels of north and force ( /nɔrθ/ , /fɔ(ə)rs/ ) are being merged to /ɔr/ in OED , given the evident variability. (Some entries may legitimately have a weakly diphthongized vowel, but the contrasts are not deemed sufficiently salient or reliable to warrant inclusion).
Only the ‘unmarked’ pronunciation of Kretzschmar’s 2008 description is included for lot and palm words, although the patterning and stability of low back vowels is notoriously variable. Following CDP ’s treatment, these historical /ɑ/ sets have only /ɑ/ , whereas the historical /ɔ/ sets ( cloth , thought ) are given both. OED ’s general pattern of listing /ɔ/ before /ɑ/ variants is for lexicographical consistency and – like all variant pronunciation listings in OED – the order should not be interpreted as a reflection of frequency or popularity.
Although some U.S. English speakers will distinguish between them, words such as marry , merry and Mary are shown in their homophonous form /ˈmɛri/ , the former shown as the carry set in the table above.
The strut vowel is typically not as open as its British English counterpart, nor does it share its slightly dropped back quality, leading to CDP / RDP ’s use of /ə/ . As a stressed vowel, this includes a range of qualities including those more similar to British English /ʌ/ , but highlights the general quality difference. Kretzschmar (2008 p.46) mentions the variety of postvocalic /r/ ‘ranging from fully constricted [r] to different levels of constriction (so-called “ r -colouring) to compensatory lengthening of the vowel to vocalization of the r to create a diphthong’, but resolves for nurse words the unmarked quality of a stressed rhotic schwa; /ər/ in OED .
Vowel length (as shown in, e.g., British English fleece ) is considered environmentally conditioned and not marked. Potential diphthongal glide weakening in price and choice words is not indicated, but in OED as in RDP the loss of schwa glide in near and square words is shown in a slightly different pattern versus the 2008 description (which only discussed endings creating intervocalic /r/ ), such that near and square words are shown only with the glide when the vowel falls in the final syllable of the entry (hence /ˈskwɛrˌdæns/ and /ˈskwɛrɪŋ/ but /ˌəʊvərˈskwɛ(ə)r/ ). An equivalent approach is taken with the cure set.
Historical [o] in words such as hoarse , still retained by some speakers, is commonly not distinguished from horse [ɔ] and so both are represented by /ɔ/ .
Weak vowels, e.g., the final vowels in words such as added and beautiful, are typically not as high as in British English. Weak vowels in words such as added tend towards schwa except where the most recent preceding vowel ended high and front ( /i, ɪ, eɪ, aɪ, ɔɪ/ ), in which case /ɪ/ might be found, or more often a quality on the ɪ-ə continuum represented with /ᵻ/ . The occurrence of /ᵿ/ in British English for a vowel on the ʊ-ə continuum is less commonly used in U.S. English. The first vowel in words such as beside are given extremes of /ə/ and /i/ , but an intermediate quality close to /ɪ/ is a feasible unshown variant.
Two nasalized vowels are recognized, /æ̃/ in words such as gratin and /ɑ̃/ in salon .
As in CDP / RDP, OED demonstrates the rhoticity of U.S. English with ‘r’ following a vowel rather than with the International Phonetic Alphabet’s rhoticity diacritic (e.g., showing rhotic schwa/diphthongal glide as /ɚ/ ). Words such as hammer and pair are therefore /ˈhæmər/ and /pɛ(ə)r/ rather than /ˈhæmɚ/ and /pɛɚ/ . This ‘plus-r’ sequence approach simplifies the range of symbols users are required to understand as well as making broader equivalences between different instances of r-colouring and enabling r-colouring and syllabic /r/ possibilities to be combined. /r/ covers a wide range of qualities including trilled, tapped, bunched and alveolar articulations.
Intervocalic (between-vowel) /t/ is usually tapped (or ‘flapped’) and often with voicing, explained by Kretzschmar (2008) as resulting in the same forms for latter and ladder (note also that for many U.S. English speakers /d/ can also be tapped). Both are transcribed in CDP as /ˈlædər/ . Prevocalic voicing of /t/ is also noted by Kretzschmar in -kt-, -pt-, and -ft- sequences, but these are not routinely shown in OED .
Post-initial /j/ in cure is shown unbracketed, but /j/ is bracketed in words such as news where it often does not occur.
Consonant clusters may also be simplified to a greater extent than in British English, including in contexts such as fact ( /fæk(t)/ ), and is consistently shown in /nt/ when between vowels with no intervening stress marker (e.g. in hunter /ˈhən(t)ər/ but not in centile ( /ˈsɛnˌtaɪl/ ).
The stronger preservation of secondary stress compared with British English results in most syllables with full vowels having at least a secondary stress mark. There is also a general pattern for words with several weak vowels in British English having at least one of those as a strong vowel (e.g. contributory U.S. /kənˈtrɪbjəˌtɔri/ versus British English /kənˈtrɪbjʊt(ə)ri/ , /ˌkɒntrɪˈbjuːt(ə)ri/ ). British and U.S. Englishes are also known for differences in preferred stress placement, with U.S. English often showing preference for primary stress at the beginning of words.
Jones, D. 2011. Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary. 18th edn. Edited by P. Roach, J. Setter, & J. Esling. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kretzschmar, W. 2008. Standard American English Pronunciation . In: E.W. Schneider, ed. Varieties of English 2: the Americas and the Caribbean. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, pp.37-51.
Merriam-Webster. 2020. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary [Online Resource]. Accessed 17/06/20 at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Upton, C. & Kretzschmar, W. 2017. The Routledge Dictionary of Pronunciation for Current English. Abingdon: Routledge.
Upton, C., Kretzschmar, W. & Konopka, R. 2001. Oxford Dictionary of Pronunciation for Current English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wells, J. C. 2008. Longman Pronouncing Dictionary. 3rd edn. Harlow: Pearson Education.
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Definition of circuit noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
- The race ended with eight laps of a city centre circuit.
- The earth takes a year to make a circuit of (= go around) the sun.
- We did a complete circuit of the park in twenty minutes.
- Green Day moves into the lead as they turn into the straight on the first circuit.
- Runners have to complete fifteen circuits of the two-mile circular course.
Questions about grammar and vocabulary?
Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.
- an electrical circuit
- a circuit diagram (= one showing all the connections in the different parts of the circuit )
- This is her biggest triumph in nine years on the women's tennis circuit.
- He announced his retirement from the professional circuit last year.
- professional
- international
- on a/the circuit
- a track for cars or motorcycles to race around
- the lecture/cabaret circuit
- She's a well-known figure on the international lecture circuit.
- Talent scouts spotted him playing on the amateur circuit.
- Young's film has hit the festival circuit in the US.
- I do circuits in the gym twice a week.
- a circuit court/judge
- haute cuisine
- hors d’oeuvre
- pterodactyl
Other results
- ring circuit
- circuit boards
- circuit courts
- circuit breakers
- the Borscht circuit
- printed circuit board
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Synonyms trip trip journey tour expedition excursion outing day out These 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
Definition of tour verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
There are 17 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun tour, ten of which are labelled obsolete. See 'Meaning & use' for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. tour has developed meanings and uses in subjects including. oil and gas industry (Middle English) military (Middle English) hairdressing (late 1600s) ballet (1840s) dance ...
yes. /jes/. w. wet. /wet/. The symbol (r) indicates that British pronunciation will have /r/ only if a vowel sound follows directly at the beginning of the next word, as in far away; otherwise the /r/ is omitted. For American English, all the /r/ sounds should be pronounced. /x/ represents a fricative sound as in /lɒx/ for Scottish loch, Irish ...
corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates; new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates. Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into tour, v. in December 2023.
TOUR pronunciation. How to say tour. Listen to the audio pronunciation in English. Learn more.
How to pronounce TOUR. How to say tour. Listen to the audio pronunciation in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Learn more.
Pronunciation. The OED gives pronunciations for English as spoken in Britain and the United States throughout the revised text. For words associated with other parts of the English-speaking world, OED also gives pronunciations in the appropriate World English. These pronunciations are found in the pronunciation section and also on the factsheet ...
a journey for pleasure in which several different places are visited:. Meaning, pronunciation and example sentences, English to English reference content.
1 tour (of/round/around something) a journey made for pleasure during which several different towns, countries, etc. are visited a walking/sightseeing, etc. tour a bus tour of northern California a tour operator (= a person or company that organizes tours) Topic Collocations Travel and Tourism vacations. have/take a vacation/a break/a day off/a year off/time off
TOUR definition: 1. a visit to a place or area, especially one during which you look around the place or area and…. Learn more.
British English pronunciation. American English: tʊər British English: tʊəʳ. Word forms plural, 3rd person singular present tense tours, present participle touring, past tense, past participle toured. Example sentences including 'tour'. The band is currently on a two-month tour of Europe.
Virtual tour: learn more about Oxford English Dictionary's unique features; Expand Pronunciations: videos and virtual events. ... for The Oxford Dictionary of Pronunciation for Current English (Upton, Kretzschmar & Konopka 2001, hereafter CDP), and its second edition RDP (Upton & Kretzschmar 2017). Vowels. Symbol: Keyword:
Tour - pronunciation: audio and phonetic transcription tour American English: [ˈtʊr] IPA /tUR/ phonetic spelling Mike x0.5 x0.75 x1 Lela x0.5 x0.75 x1 Jeevin x0.5 x1 Jeevin x0.5 x1 British English: [ˈtɔː] IPA /tAW/ phonetic spelling Andrew x0.5 x0.75 x1 Watch my latest YouTube video "Don't use a dictionary when you learn a language!"
Learn how to pronounce "TOUR" perfectly with the help of audio samples and videos
Glossaries, abbreviations, pronunciation guides, frequency, symbols, and more. Explore resources. Personal account. Change display settings, save searches and purchase subscriptions. Account features. ... Join our team for a virtual tour of the Oxford English Dictionary's (OED) new site to learn about different OED features and functionality.
Virtual tour: learn more about Oxford English Dictionary's unique features; Expand Pronunciations: videos and virtual events. ... co-editor of The Oxford Dictionary of Pronunciation for Current English (Upton, Kretzschmar & Konopka 2001, hereafter CDP), who also directly consulted on many OED entries.
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Welcome to the official website of the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides. Here you will find only qualified, professional Guides who have unique expertise and insights along with exclusive access to some of Oxford's most beautiful buildings.
Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. The Oxford Advanced American Dictionary is an advanced-level monolingual dictionary for learners of American English. It includes 145,000 words, phrases, and meanings and 85,500 examples showing how words are used.
The A-Z is integrated with the new Oxford 3000 and Oxford 5000 word lists, which provide core vocabulary that every student needs to learn, ... Improve your pronunciation and speaking skills. Watch 'Sounds', 'Conversations' and 'Exam speaking' videos, study useful language and record yourself. Find out more.
Definition of circuit noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.