What does vacationer mean?
A vacationer is a person who is away from home on holiday, typically for rest, recreation, or tourism. The word is especially common in North American English, while British English more often uses holidaymaker. Vacationer is broader than tourist because someone taking a personal holiday need not be sightseeing, although many vacationers are tourists in practice. It also differs from traveler: travel describes the journey or activity, whereas vacationer names the person in a holiday context. In conversation and writing, the noun is neutral and can refer to one person or a group; fellow vacationers and summer vacationers are familiar pairings. Pluralization is regular, with vacationers. Etymologically, the word joins vacation to the agentive suffix -er. Vacation itself comes through French from Latin, whose vacare meant “to be empty” or “to be free,” the sense that eventually developed into taking time off from ordinary work. The result is a useful everyday word because it identifies not just a place or journey but the person enjoying time away from normal obligations.
nounA person who is on holiday, especially one travelling away from home for leisure.
- A person who is away from home on holiday, typically for rest, recreation, or tourism.
"The seaside town was filled with vacationers during the summer."
"A vacationer asked the guide for directions to the nearest museum."
"The resort offers special rates for families and solo vacationers."
The plural is formed by adding the regular plural suffix -s.
"The vacationers returned home after two weeks by the sea."
Vacation began with a sense of emptiness: its Latin root meant “free or unoccupied,” so taking a holiday was originally making time free from work.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vacationer come from?
Vacationer is an English agent noun formed from vacation + -er, meaning “a person who takes a vacation.” Vacation entered English from Middle French vacation, a derivative of Latin vacare, “to be empty, free, or at leisure,” and developed the sense of time away from ordinary work. The Latin root also underlies cognates including vacant, vacancy, and vacate, while vacuum and vacuous reflect the related Latin vacuus, “empty.”
How vacationer is actually used
The word is neutral and common in North American English. British English more often uses holidaymaker, while vacationer is less common but readily understood.
Easily confused with vacationer
A vacation is the holiday or period of time away from ordinary work; a vacationer is the person taking it.