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Definition of tour – Learner’s Dictionary

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• The tour offers a chance to visit places of interest .
• Despite the accident , she intends to complete her tour as originally planned .
• The band's American tour coincided with the release of their second album .
• They went on a sightseeing tour of London.
• The tour guide was very informative .

(Definition of tour from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of tour

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Word of the Day

have your hands full

to be so busy that you do not have time to do anything else

Binding, nailing, and gluing: talking about fastening things together

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Definition of tour noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

• have/take a vacation/a break/a day off/a year off/time off
• go on/be on vacation/leave/honeymoon/safari/sabbatical/a trip/a tour/a cruise/a pilgrimage
• go backpacking/camping/sightseeing
• plan a trip/a vacation/your itinerary
• reserve a hotel room/a flight/tickets
• have/make/cancel a reservation
• rent a condo/a vacation home/a cabin
• rent a car/bicycle/moped/scooter/Jet Ski
• stay in a hotel/a bed and breakfast/a youth hostel/a villa/a trailer/a vacation home/a resort/a timeshare
• cost/charge $100 a/per night for a suite/a single/double/twin room
• check into/out of a hotel/a motel/your room
• pack/unpack your suitcase/bags
• call/order room service
• cancel/cut short a trip/vacation
• apply for/get/renew a/your passport
• take out/buy/get travel insurance
• catch/miss your plane/train/ferry/connecting flight
• fly (in)/travel (in) first/business/economy class
• make/have a brief/two-day/twelve-hour layover/stopover in Hong Kong
• experience/cause/lead to delays
• check (in)/collect/get/lose your baggage/luggage
• be charged for/pay excess baggage fees
• board/get on/leave/get off the aircraft/plane/ship/ferry
• taxi down/leave/approach/hit/overshoot the runway
• experience/hit/encounter (mild/severe) turbulence
• suffer from/recover from/get over your jet lag/motion sickness
• be seasick/carsick
• attract/draw/bring tourists/visitors
• encourage/promote/hurt tourism
• promote/develop ecotourism
• build/develop/visit a tourist/tropical/beach/ski resort
• work for/be operated by a major hotel chain
• be served by/compete with low-fare/low-cost/budget airlines
• use/go to/have a travel agent
• contact/check with your travel agent/tour operator
• buy/be on/go on a package deal/vacation/tour
• buy/bring back (tacky/overpriced) souvenirs
• trip an act of traveling from one place to another, and usually back again: a business trip a five-minute trip by taxi
• journey an act of traveling from one place to another, especially when they are far apart: a long and difficult journey across the mountains
• A trip usually involves you going to a place and back again; a journey is usually one-way. A trip is often shorter than a journey , although it does not have to be: a trip to New York a round-the-world trip. It is often short in time, even if it is long in distance. Journey is more often used when the traveling takes a long time and is difficult.
• tour a journey made for pleasure during which several different places are visited: a tour of California
• commute the regular trip that a person makes when they travel to work and back home again: a two-hour commute into downtown Washington
• expedition an organized journey with a particular purpose, especially to find out about a place that is not well known: the first expedition to the South Pole
• excursion a short trip made for pleasure, especially one that has been organized for a group of people: We went on an all-day excursion to the island.
• outing a short trip made for pleasure or education, usually with a group of people and lasting no more than a day: My project team organized an afternoon outing to celebrate.
• an overseas trip/journey/tour/expedition
• a bus/train trip/journey/tour
• to go on a(n) trip/journey/tour/expedition/excursion/outing
• to set out/off on a(n) trip/journey/tour/expedition/excursion
• to take a(n) trip/journey/expedition/excursion

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The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app

Tour Is Also Mentioned In

• whistle stop
• Cook's tour
• nickel tour
• fifty-cent tour

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Find similar words to tour using the buttons below.

English [ edit ]

Pronunciation [ edit ].

• IPA ( key ) : /tɔː(ɹ)/ , /tʊə(ɹ)/ , /tɝ/ , /tuːɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ) , -ʊə(ɹ)
• Homophone : tore ( pour-poor merger )

Etymology 1 [ edit ]

From Old French tour , tourn , from the verb torner , tourner .

Noun [ edit ]

tour ( plural tours )

• A journey through a particular building, estate, country, etc. On our last holiday to Spain we took a tour of the wine-growing regions.
• A guided visit to a particular place, or virtual place. On the company's website, you can take a virtual tour of the headquarters.
• A journey through a given list of places, such as by an entertainer performing concerts . Metallica's tour of Europe
• ( sports , chiefly cricket and rugby ) A trip taken to another country in which several matches are played.
• ( sports , cycling ) A street and road race , frequently multiday.
• ( sports ) A set of competitions which make up a championship .
• 2022 September 21, Carly Olson, Dan Bilefsky, “Ten prisoners, including Americans, have been released as part of a Russia-Ukraine exchange, Saudi Arabia says.”, in The New York Times ‎ [1] , →ISSN : Among those released were two Americans who had been held captive for more than three months: Alex Drueke, a former U.S. Army staff sergeant who served two tours in Iraq, according to his aunt, Dianna Shaw; [ … ]
• ( graph theory ) A closed trail .
• 1667 , John Milton , “Book X”, in Paradise Lost.   [ … ] , London: [ … ] [ Samuel Simmons ],   [ … ] , →OCLC ; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books:   [ … ] , London: Basil Montagu Pickering   [ … ] , 1873 , →OCLC : The Bird of Jove, stoopt from his aerie tour ,
• 1712 , Richard Blackmore , Creation : It [blood] onward springs, and makes the wondrous tour
• ( snooker ) A circuit of snooker tournaments

Hyponyms [ edit ]

• guided tour
• tour de force
• tour d'horizon
• whirlwind tour

Derived terms [ edit ]

• abortion tour
• Cook's tour
• fifty-cent tour
• knight's tour
• mystery tour
• nickel tour
• package tour
• railtour , rail tour
• starlight tour
• ten-cent tour
• tour operator
• what happens on tour stays on tour
• whistlestop tour

Related terms [ edit ]

Translations [ edit ], verb [ edit ].

tour ( third-person singular simple present tours , present participle touring , simple past and past participle toured )

• ( intransitive ) To make a journey The Rolling Stones were still touring when they were in their seventies.
• ( transitive ) To make a circuit of a place The circuses have been touring Europe for the last few weeks.

Etymology 2 [ edit ]

Old French tor , French tour ( “ tower ” )

• ( dated ) A tower .

Etymology 3 [ edit ]

• ( obsolete ) To toot a horn .

References [ edit ]

• “ tour ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary , Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam , 1913 , →OCLC .

Anagrams [ edit ]

• rout , trou

Breton [ edit ]

• Hard mutation of dour .

Dutch [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ].

Borrowed from French tour .

tour   m ( plural tours , diminutive tourtje   n )

Synonyms [ edit ]

French [ edit ].

• IPA ( key ) : /tuʁ/
• Rhymes: -uʁ

Inherited from Old French tor , from Latin turrem , from Ancient Greek τύρρις ( túrrhis ) , τύρσις ( túrsis ) .

tour   f ( plural tours )

• tower La tour de Pise est penchée. ― The Tower of Pisa is leaning.
• ( chess ) rook
• apartment building
• tour de Babel
• tour de contrôle
• tour de forage
• tour de guet
• tour de siège
• tour d’ivoire
• tour Eiffel

See also [ edit ]

Further reading [ edit ].

• “ tour ”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [ Digitized Treasury of the French Language ] , 2012 .
• “ tour ” in Dictionnaire français en ligne Larousse .

Middle English [ edit ]

Alternative forms [ edit ].

• thour , tor , tore , toure , towere , towour , tur

From Old English tūr , tor , torr , from Latin turris .

• IPA ( key ) : /tuːr/

tour ( plural toures )

• English: tower ( see there for further descendants )
• Scots: tour , towr
• Yola: toweare
• “ tǒur, n. (1) ”, in MED Online , Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan , 2007 .

Portuguese [ edit ]

• ( Brazil ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtuʁ/ [ˈtuh]
• ( São Paulo ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtuɾ/
• ( Rio de Janeiro ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtuʁ/ [ˈtuχ]
• ( Southern Brazil ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtuɻ/
• ( Portugal ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtuɾ/
• ( Southern Portugal ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈtu.ɾi/
• tour ( guided visit )
• tour ( journey through a given list of places )

Scots [ edit ]

• IPA ( key ) : /tur/

Spanish [ edit ]

• IPA ( key ) : /ˈtuɾ/ [ˈt̪uɾ]
• Rhymes: -uɾ
• tour , guided visit to a country, museum, etc. Synonyms: viaje , visita , excursión
• ( sports ) tour , a trip to another country to play matches
• ( music ) tour , a trip to other countries undertaken by a singer or musician Synonym: gira
• Tour de Francia
• “ tour ”, in Diccionario de la lengua española , Vigésima tercera edición , Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish [ edit ]

tour   c

• ( sports ) a tour (chiefly in individual ball games)

Declension [ edit ]

• tour in Svensk ordbok ( SO )
• tour in Svenska Akademiens ordlista ( SAOL )
• tour in Svenska Akademiens ordbok ( SAOB )

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• Rhymes:English/ʊə(ɹ)/1 syllable
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• Breton non-lemma forms
• Breton mutated nouns
• Breton hard-mutation forms
• Dutch terms borrowed from French
• Dutch terms derived from French
• Dutch terms with audio links
• Dutch lemmas
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• Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation
• Rhymes:Spanish/uɾ
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What does the noun tour mean?

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

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun tour ?

How is the noun tour pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun tour come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun tour is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for tour is from around 1320, in the Castle of Love .

tour is a borrowing from French.

Etymons: French tour .

Nearby entries

• touladi, n. 1846–
• Toulousain, n. & adj. 1883–
• toumbe, v. 1297
• toup, n. 1959–
• to-up, prep. c1330–50
• toupee, n. 1727–
• toupeed, adj. 1847–
• toupet, n. 1728–
• toupeted, adj. 1903–
• toupet-titmouse, n. 1785–
• tour, n. c1320–
• tour, v. 1746–
• Tourangeau, n. & adj. 1883–
• Tourangeois, adj. & n. 1857–
• tourbillion | tourbillon, n. 1477–
• tour de force, n. 1802–
• Tour de France, n. 1922–
• tour d'horizon, n. 1952–
• tourelle, n. c1330–
• tourer, n. 1927–
• tourette, n.¹ 1881–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for tour, n..

tour, n. was first published in 1913; not yet revised.

tour, n. was last modified in September 2023.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• 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, n. in September 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1913)

• Find out more

OED Second Edition (1989)

• View tour, n. in OED Second Edition

Please submit your feedback for tour, n.

Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your feedback. OUP will not use this email address for any other purpose.

Citation details

Factsheet for tour, n., browse entry.

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noun as in journey; stint

Strongest matches

Strong matches

• peregrination

Weak matches

• circle tour
• whistle-stop

verb as in visit, journey

• peregrinate
• go on the road
• take a trip

Discover More

Example sentences.

The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site hosts a walking tour of Douglass’ Anacostia today at noon.

Noah Latham, a private based at Fort Drum, did a tour of Iraq as a drone operator, according to an Army spokesperson.

Hughes was scheduled to join city officials on a tour of the building two weeks later.

Plus, see how the Panda Cams are operated, take a virtual tour of the panda house and get the answers to some of your most-asked questions.

At that time, Matt Rihm and Hans Smith of Armada Skis were driving out for a ski tour in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains.

Stanley Richards, Senior Vice President of the Fortune Society, gave a tour along with a few residents.

Before I go out on tour, I ask for prayer and to help my family.

They finished out the tour without incident, while newspapers across the country picked up the story.

TLC promptly pulled the plug on the hit series and Shannon embarked on a press tour denying the claims.

I was a part of this tour, debating Meyer in Richmond, Virginia in April.

The magazines sketch us a lively article, the newspapers vignette us, step by step, a royal tour.

But the traveller took a wide tour; and did not bring the letter to its destination until two months after its date.

Your most intimate friend arrived in Paris, and you choose the next day to make a little tour!

I did not anticipate a tour of pleasure through Ireland, but the reality is more painful than I anticipated.

He explained quietly that he did not belong here, but was making a tour of the parishes of Wurttemberg and Baden.

Related Words

Words related to tour are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word tour . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

verb as in travel

• knock about

noun as in period of time in which something occurs

verb as in attempt to win political election

• contend for
• electioneer
• go to grass roots
• hit the trail
• mend fences
• press the flesh
• ring doorbells
• shake hands and kiss babies
• solicit votes

Viewing 5 / 76 related words

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On this page you'll find 131 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to tour, such as: circuit, course, cruise, excursion, expedition, and outing.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

Synonyms of tour

• as in tenure
• as in to travel
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Thesaurus Definition of tour

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

Thesaurus Definition of tour  (Entry 2 of 2)

• peregrinate
• road - trip
• knock (about)
• perambulate

Phrases Containing tour

• tour de force

Thesaurus Entries Near tour

tourbillion

Cite this Entry

“Tour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tour. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on tour

Nglish: Translation of tour for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of tour for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tour

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When does 'Tortured Poets Department' come out? What we know about Taylor Swift's new album

Can you hear the clock ticking? We are now just days away from the release of Taylor Swift's new album, which goes live Friday night. Here's what we know.

Taylor Swift: TTPD meaning

TTPD stands for " The Tortured Poets Department ," the name of Taylor Swift's new album.

When does Taylor Swift's new album drop?

"The Tortured Poets Department" will be released at  11 p.m. CST this Thursday, April 18 . The album will be available on most streaming platforms, such as  Apple Music and Spotify .

Swift announced the release of her 11th studio album after winning her 13th Grammy.

"I want to say thank you to the fans," Swift said, holding her Grammy, "by telling you a secret that I've been keeping from you for the past two years, which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19."

More on TTPD:  Taylor Swift's new album, 'Error 321' and historic Grammy win: Everything you need to know

The artwork for the new album is a black-and-white photo of Swift lying on a bed. According to Swift's website, her 11th record will include  16 tracks  plus four bonus tracks.

In the  tweet she sent out shortly after her acceptance speech , a photo shows a folder open to a page with Swift's handwriting:

"And so I enter into evidence / My tarnished coat of arms / My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / The tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My veins of pitch black ink / All's fair in love and poetry... Sincerely, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department."

Did TTPD leak?

It's unclear. Two days ahead of its official debut, snippets of songs allegedly on the album were shared on social media, Daily Mail reports.

A Google Drive link circulating online featured 17 songs, which is the number of songs confirmed to be on "The Tortured Poets Department," but the tracks' validity has been called into question. Some Swifties argue the songs are fake and were created by AI, while others believe they're the real deal.

The singer has not yet confirmed or denied the recordings' validity to news outlets.

Online, Swift's fanbase has launched a campaign to plug the leak to support the artist, with many urging others to wait for the official release.

In 2017, Taylor Swift's Reputation album was leaked online the day before it was officially released, Daily Mail reports.

'The Tortured Poets Department '  track list

There are four sides to the album, according to a post on Swift's Instagram account. Based on the names of the songs, fans may be in for a break-up album about her ex-boyfriend and actor Joe Alwyn, whom Swift dated for six years.

• "Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)"
• "The Tortured Poets Department"
• "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
• "So Long, London"
• "But Daddy I Love Him"
• "Fresh Out the Slammer"
• "Florida!!!" (feat. Florence + The Machine)
• "Guilty as Sin?"
• "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
• "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
• "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"
• "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
• "The Alchemy"
• "Clara Bow"

Bonus Tracks:

• "The Manuscript"
• "The Bolter"
• "The Albatross"
• "The Black Dog"

People are also reading:  Taylor Swift joins Oprah, Rihanna on Forbes billionaires list. See who else made the list

Where can I buy Taylor Swift's new album?

Once the album drops, you can purchase it  on her website . There will be several versions of the album available, including a CD, cassette, vinyl and digital album. 

These retailers will sell the album starting on Friday, April 19:

• Barnes and Noble
• Local record stores  (Record Store Day is the next day)

Where can I preorder 'The Tortured Poets Department'?

The album is now  available for preorder on Swift's website .

Along with the standard and special editions of the album, there will be a special collector’s edition deluxe CD that includes a collectible 20-page booklet, which includes all song lyrics and never-before-seen photos, collectible photo cards, a bookmark and a magnet.

What has Taylor Swift said about 'The Tortured Poets Department'?

In the weeks following the album announcement, Swift has given fans small teasers about its contents and the process of making it. Just days after announcing the album, she revealed during her first 2024 Eras Tour show in Japan on Feb. 7 the project had been in the making since October 2022.

“I’ve been working on it for about two years,” she said. “I kept working on it throughout the U.S. tour, and when it was perfect — in my opinion when it’s good enough for you — I finished it and I am so, so excited that soon you’ll get to hear it.”

In Melbourne, Australia, she said, "Tortured Poets is an album — I think more than any of my albums that I’ve ever made — I needed to make it. It was really a lifeline for me."

How many songs does Taylor Swift have?

Taylor Swift currently has 243 songs, including covers and vault tracks,  according to Rolling Stone . As if that number wasn't already impressive, it will rise to 263 after Friday.

How many albums does Taylor Swift have?

After the release of "TTPD," Taylor Swift will have 15 albums. This includes 11 studio albums and four rerecordings of albums (labeled as "Taylor's Version").

• " Taylor Swift " (2006)
• " Fearless " (2008)
• " Speak Now " (2010)
• " Red " (2012)
• " 1989 " (2014)
• " Reputation " (2017)
• " Lover " (2019)
• " Folklore " (2020)
• " Evermore " (2020)
• " Fearless (Taylor's Version) " (2021)
• " Red (Taylor's Version)"  (2021)
• " Midnights " (2022)
• " Speak Now (Taylor's Version) "(2023)
• " 1989 (Taylor's Version) " (2023)
• " The Tortured Poets Department "  (2024)

What is the cut at the Masters?

Scottie Scheffler hits his tee shot on the third tee box during the first round of Masters Tournament. (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)

Change Text Size

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The 36-hole cut at the Masters is different than any other major championship. The 89-man field will be cut to the low 50 and ties after 36 holes is completed.

Thursday’s first round was suspended due to darkness after the start of play was delayed more than two hours by morning storms. The second round is expected to begin on schedule at 8 a.m., however.

The cut was first instituted in 1957, 23 years after the Masters began. The field was cut to the low 40 and ties from 1957-61, but the cut changed the next year with the institution of the 10-shot rule. From 1962-2012, the field was cut to the low 44 and ties, as well as anyone within 10 strokes of the leader.

Over the following seven years, the 36-hole cut was expanded to the low 50 and ties, as well as anyone within 10 strokes of the leader. The 10-shot rule was done away with in 2020, however, and now the low 50 and ties qualify for the final 36 holes at the Masters.

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Fans of musical theater in the Bangor region will have a lot to look forward to in the coming year with the announcement of a slate of Broadway shows coming to the Cross Insurance Center.

The Cross Center announced on Thursday that six Broadway tours will make stops in Bangor beginning in September, and will include several shows that have never been performed in Maine before.

The Broadway Bangor series begins on Sept. 12, with “Shrek: The Musical,” and is followed just a few weeks later with the Maine premiere of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s hit comedy, the multi-Tony Award-winning “The Book of Mormon,” on Sept. 29.

Later that fall, “Dear Evan Hansen,” the teen drama that won the 2017 Tony for Best Musical, will visit the Cross Center on Nov. 9.

The series will then take a break until the spring, when the venue then hosts “The Addams Family: A Musical Comedy” on March 25, 2025. On April 1, 2025, the Cross Center will feature “Come From Away,” the heartwarming musical about the small Newfoundland town that welcomed passengers diverted there after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The series will close out with the Broadway tour of “Mean Girls,” the musical version of Tina Fey’s beloved comedy, on May 5, 2025. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2018. A movie version of the musical hit cinemas in January of this year.

Subscription packages for the entire series will go on sale from April 19 through May 3, and single-ticket days will be available afterwards. For more information, visit the Cross Insurance Center website.

More articles from the BDN

Emily burnham.

Emily Burnham is a Maine native and proud Bangorian, covering business, the arts, restaurants and the culture and history of the Bangor region. More by Emily Burnham

Watch CBS News

U.S. issues travel warning for Israel with Iran attack believed to be imminent and fear Gaza war could spread

By Debora Patta , Tucker Reals

Updated on: April 13, 2024 / 5:25 PM EDT / CBS News

Update: Iran launched drone attacks against Israel on Saturday. Read CBS News'  latest coverage here .

Tel Aviv  — Israel is bracing for a worst-case scenario that U.S. officials believe could materialize within just hours — the possibility of a direct attack on Israeli soil by Iran in retaliation for a strike almost two weeks ago that killed seven Iranian military officers. Iran has vowed to take revenge for Israel killing its commanders, who were hit by an April 1 strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital.

Two U.S. officials told CBS News that a major Iranian attack against Israel was expected as soon as Friday, possibly to include more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles aimed at military targets inside the country. Sources have told CBS News the retaliation could include attacks carried out both by Iranian forces, and proxy groups around the region that it has been funneling additional arms to for weeks.  

The officials said it would be challenging for the Israelis to defend against an attack of that magnitude, and while they held out the possibility that the Iranians could opt for a smaller-scale attack to avoid a dramatic escalation, their retaliation was believed to be imminent. 

Asked Friday how imminent he believes an attack is, President Biden responded, "I don't want to get into secure information, but my expectation is sooner than later." The president urged Iran not to move forward, saying his message to Tehran was: "Don't."

Tehran has not indicated publicly how or when it will return fire, so it's unclear how far Iran's leaders will go. If they decide to carry out a direct attack on Israel, there's fear it could blow Israel's ongoing war against Iranian ally Hamas up into a much wider regional conflict.

With the Iranian retaliation expected at any time, the U.S. State Department on Thursday warned Americans in Israel not to travel outside major cities, which are better protected from incoming rocket fire by the country's Iron Dome missile defense system. The latest guidance noted that travel by U.S. government employees in Israel could be further restricted with little notice as things develop in the tinderbox region.

"Whoever harms us, we will harm them," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday as he visited troops at an Israel Defense Forces airbase. "We are prepared … both defensively and offensively."

On Saturday, all U.S. embassies in the Middle East were put on high alert and required to hold emergency action committee meetings. Diplomats in Lebanon and Israel were specifically told not to travel to certain areas within those countries.

Sima Shine, a security expert and former official with Israel's national intelligence agency Mossad, told CBS News it was a dangerous moment for the region, and the "most worried" she has been. She said anxiety over an all-out war was likely just as high "on both sides, in Israel and in Iran."

If Iran does choose to strike Israel directly, it could involve a complex missile and drone attack similar to the one Iranian forces launched against a Saudi oil facility in 2019 .

"They will try to do it on the military or some military asset," Shine predicted. "But the question will be the damage. If there would be many injured people, killed or injured … I think it has the potential for a huge escalation."

Shine stressed, however, that she still believes neither side actually wants a regional conflict.

U.S. "really trying to avoid war"

The U.S. sent a senior general to Israel this week to coordinate with the close American ally on any response it might make to an Iranian attack. Speaking Friday on "CBS Mornings," America's top military officer said, "we're really trying to avoid war."

"This is part of the dialogue that I have with my counterparts within the region, to include the Israeli chief of defense, who I talked to yesterday," said Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., adding that the U.S. military was "doing things not only to prevent a war, but at the same time, one of my primary things is to make sure all the forces in the region are protected."

"My role, as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is to plan and prepare," Brown said. "That's one thing we do very well."

Brown's Israeli counterpart, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, "completed a comprehensive situational assessment on the readiness of the IDF for all scenarios," Israel's military said Friday. 

"The IDF is very strongly prepared, both offensively and defensively, against any threat," Halevi was quoted as saying in the statement. "The IDF continues to monitor closely what is happening in Iran and different arenas, constantly preparing to deal with existing and potential threats in coordination with the United States Armed Forces." 

The IDF said the visiting U.S. general, Central Command chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, was taking part in the IDF's situational assessment.

The dilemma for Iran, said Israeli expert Shine, is to figure out how to deliver its promised response to Israel's attack in Syria, but in a way that does not lead to further escalation. Likewise, Shine said Israel could choose to show restraint when it responds to whatever Iran eventually does.

If either side gets the balance wrong, the consequences for the region, and even the world, could be dire.

Weijia Jiang, David Martin, Margaret Brennan and Olivia Gazis contributed reporting.

• Middle East
• Benjamin Neta​nyahu

Debora Patta is a CBS News foreign correspondent based in Johannesburg. Since joining CBS News in 2013, she has reported on major stories across Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Edward R. Murrow and Scripps Howard awards are among the many accolades Patta has received for her work.

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RBC Heritage

Harbour Town Golf Links

What do disappointing Masters final-round TV ratings actually mean?

HILTON HEAD ISLAND — It has become a pressing, even annoying question: What do we make of the 20 percent decline year-over-year in CBS' final-round ratings for the 2024 Masters?

Sports Business Journal reported on Tuesday that the network drew 9.58 million viewers on Sunday. It was the lowest viewership since Hideki Matsuyama’s 2021 win (9.45 million). If you don't count the two COVID years of 2020 and 2021, it was the lowest figure since 1993.

At the RBC Heritage, two players had two very different perspectives, and what they said represented both the underlying truth of what's afflicting professional golf at the moment and the difficulty in analyzing temporary drops in viewership.

"I am surprised by that, to be fair," said Matt Fitzpatrick, the defending champion at Harbour Town. "Obviously you've got everyone playing together, like everyone wants, and the viewership's down. But, yeah, it's bizarre. I think, for me, speaking to people at home and stuff, people are fed up with hearing about the money. I think that's the biggest thing."

"See, I just find it really hard to believe that ratings are down," said Wyndham Clark, sounding a note of disagreement. "I think people that I do know that are watching it loved it. I think golf is growing. I think golf sales have grown. I know golf memberships are growing. It makes no sense at the professional level that the viewership would be down. In my thoughts, is it because everyone is streaming and people are watching it from different avenues than maybe the normal telecast? I think that's a little bit of a skewed stat."

Scottie Scheffler hugs caddie Ted Scott after clinching his second Masters win in three years.

Fitzpatrick is right—there appears to be a real, and arguably now measurable, fatigue among a certain set of golf fans for whom the schism between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has soured their perception of the men's game and seemingly had some turning elsewhere. And Clark is right, too, both in his contention that golf participation and sales are up across the board, and that more and more viewers are watching the professional game on streaming platforms, which are notoriously hard to measure and which definitely cut into the number of people watching the network telecast (but which were also cutting into that same telecast a year ago).

All of this is to say that discussing changes in TV ratings means recognizing a few caveats that make it harder to draw the firm conclusions that make for a more enticing headline. For instance, take PGA Tour ratings, which are our best lens for putting the Masters drop into context. Up to the Masters, the tour had been averaging 2 million viewers on Saturday and Sunday telecasts in 2024, down from a 2.2 million average a year ago. This includes drops of 35 percent for the final round of the WM Phoenix Open, 30 percent at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a 15 percent overall at the Players Championship.

That seems to tell a story by itself, until you recognize a few other factors. For one, while streaming options are basically the same compared to a year ago, the hours of content have increased, including 185 hours of live competition for the Players, counting the multiple streaming airing coverage on ESPN+ during a given round. (In 2022 and 2023, PGA Tour Live was most the consumed live sport on ESPN+.) "Digital visits" for the tour are actually up 18 percent compared to 2023, digital users are up 16 percent, and social views have increased to 125 million per week, another 16 percent increase from last year. On social media, the tour had its largest engagement week ever during the Masters—the first to surpass it surpassed 13 million in engagement—and that’s without even having video rights to the tournament.

More Golf Digest Masters coverage

In terms of TV ratings, tour officials can legitimately argue that they've been unlucky in 2024. The final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was canceled due to bad weather, and the Phoenix Open had significant weather delays that forced the final round to conclude after the start of the Super Bowl. In addition, players from the top 10 in the tour’s Player Impact Program metric—in other words, the most popular players—have only won three tour events in 2024. Meanwhile, the two tournaments prior to the Masters, the Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open, saw increased viewership over 2023. Take all that, throw in the digital growth and consider that leagues including the NBA, NHL, and NASCAR are all down from 2023, and you start to wonder if the dip in golf ratings means much of anything at all.

Even so, a PGA Tour source acknowledged "fan fatigue" as a legitimate phenomenon, one the tour is taking seriously. While acknowledging it exists, what’s difficult is knowing what effect it actually has on ratings. And even when ratings are down overall, they may not be down in specific, important ways; ratings were down at the Players, but peak viewership was almost identical, and total viewers in the 90 minutes before the conclusion were down, but not by nearly as much. (Mind you, you can argue that the growth in recreational participation and equipment sales means that even stagnancy in TV ratings for the professional game is a failure signifying something broken in the professional game; how can you fail to capitalize on a legitimate cultural trend?)

We don't have streaming data from ESPN+ or Masters.com, but we do know that Thursday and Friday's opening rounds broadcasts on ESPN were its highest rated since 2015 . That didn't continue into the weekend, obviously, but the same mitigating factors that can apply to the tour's declining numbers could factor in here, too. For one thing, the final round lacked drama after the back nine. For another, the 20 percent drop is in comparison to a year when there was significant intrigue surrounding the first major that saw PGA Tour and LIV golfers meeting on a major stage for the first time … not to mention a late charge by Phil Mickelson and a duel between Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.

Caveats aside, it’s hard to see the ratings as anything but bad news. Even if streaming is up, the TV deals with CBS and NBC are a major source of revenue for the tour (and for the majors), and infinitely more valuable than anything they get from streaming or social. If those networks can't sell as many ads, then the tour’s hopes of getting more than the $700 million deal it signed through 2030 when the next deal is being negotiated will be particularly challenging. In other words, considering the ultimate payoff, a hit to the actual terrestrial ratings is a big deal that is not offset financially by gains in other sectors. Sources tell Golf Digest that there's real concern at NBC/Golf Channel about declining ratings, and that CBS executives was extremely disappointed in its Masters numbers, particularly as the network broadcast weekend coverage of tour events for the next 12 weeks.

As you can tell by the layers of disclaimers that pile up each time you try to discuss ratings, it's extremely hard to quantify how "tired" fans have become of the PGA Toutr-LIV hamster wheel, or whether viewers are truly abandoning professional golf in droves (if they are, they're not going to LIV, whose ratings remain anemic). It passes the smell test, but the dozens of caveats that come with interpreting ratings end up introducing a kind of paralyzing effect when it comes to reaching any conclusions; the more you know, the more complicated it becomes. What's not complicated, though, is that numbers are down in relevant ways, and that’s happening during a time of unprecedented growth in recreation golf spurred on by the pandemic.

"I've actually been pretty amazed this year with the fatigue I have from all of this garbage going on," Max Homa said, adding that in-person events have been terrific, and that he feels hopeful after a recent PAC meeting that the tour has great future plans in place to engage fans.

"I think we hit this year-and-a-half or two-year rut as both golfers and golf leagues that was just about making the players happy, and unfortunately and quite obviously the fans were not benefited by that," he said. "I'm very hopeful that at some point here soon, we've been shown that we are nothing without those watching us, and they can stop watching us whenever they'd like."

Some have, and the numbers reflect it; what remains to be seen is what the solution might be, and, if such a solution is implemented, whether something critical has already been lost.

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• ENVIRONMENT

The U.S. plans to limit PFAS in drinking water. What does that really mean?

The EPA’s plan to limit forever chemicals will be costly, experts say—but will protect millions of Americans from a host of health problems.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced on April 10 the first-ever limits on per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals, in drinking water.

The agency says that the new rule will protect 100 million Americans from six PFAS known to accumulate in the body and cause a host of health problems —including kidney and testicular cancer as well as pregnancy-induced hypertension, preterm birth, and liver and immune system problems.

“I applaud the decision,” says Susan M. Pinney , director of the Center for Environmental Genetics at University of Cincinnati. “It’s in line with what we know about the health effects of PFAS.”

( Toxic "forever chemicals" are more common in water than we thought .)

But while public health experts approve of the new rule, they contend that getting forever chemicals out of our drinking water will be a herculean task given the sheer quantity of PFAS found in it along with the difficulty in removing them. And it may come at a cost to consumers. Here’s what to know about what comes next—and what the new rule means for you.

Next steps in cleaning up the nation’s drinking water

The downside of the new rule is the cost of installing the technology to fix the problem—which estimates suggest could be between $1.5 billion to $4 billion. Under the new rule , all U.S. public water systems will have three years to test their water for the six PFAS tagged by EPA and five years to reduce levels to the new national standard of 4 parts per trillion.

The EPA estimates that between 6 and 10 percent of the nation’s 66,000 public drinking water systems may have to make changes to their infrastructure in order to abide by the new rule. Eleven states already limit PFAS levels but many will still have to make operational changes if their levels are above the national limit.

Their first task, Pinney says, should be determining the source of pollution to prevent it from entering the water system—which is cheaper and easier than removing pollution that’s already there. Many facilities will have to install granular active carbon, ion exchange, or reverse osmosis water filtration systems, proven but costly methods for filtering PFAS from water.

As for infrastructural changes, the typical facility already has processes in place to coagulate or remove solids from water, polish it to remove things like heavy metals, and a chlorination treatment to disinfect the water of harmful microorganisms. “New infrastructure will likely fall somewhere in between the polishing and chlorination phase,” says Chris Moody, who handles regulation compliance for American Water Works Association (AWWA), an organization whose membership is made up of 4,300 utility suppliers.

( Is tap water safe to drink? Here's what you need to know .)

Updating infrastructure may also require hiring an engineer to design any new system for filtering PFAS as well as a piloting process to test that it’s working, adds Moody.

The EPA estimates the annual cost of compliance at $1.5 billion but Moody contends it’s vastly underestimated. In a report last year, AWWA estimated the implementation budget as closer to $3.8 billion .

What will that mean for your water bill? Moody says the cost burden depends on the size of your local water treatment facility. “Small systems just don’t have the economy of scale so your cost is much higher per household,” he says.

The EPA has already announced $1 billion in federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, but municipalities may also have to secure funding at the state level and much of that cost is likely to be shouldered by the consumer. Moody estimates it could cost thousands annually per customer for smaller utilities and hundreds for the larger systems where the cost is spread over a greater population.

Is it worth it?

But many experts argue that the new limits make sense given the “weight of evidence” showing health problems associated with PFAS.

“It is these very low concentrations that can have big effects overtime as chemicals bioaccumulate in the body,” says Scott Belcher , director of the Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

( Here's where forever chemicals are hiding in your kitchen .)

PFAS are ubiquitous, found in everything from cleaning products and food packaging to water-resistant fabrics. Water, says Belcher, is low-hanging fruit when it comes to cleaning up what he calls a “long-term pollution crisis.”

While the EPA has only imposed strict limits on six PFAS based on a preponderance of scientific evidence, thousands more persist in the environment. The hope is that once new infrastructure is in place it will also remove many of those chemicals that haven’t yet been banned.

In the future, Belcher says, identifying polluters ahead of time needs to be a priority. “We’ve learned lessons over the past few decades that once these compounds get into our environment, they’re extremely difficult to remove."

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Frugal Traveler

To Protect Your Miles, Be Careful How You Book

American Airlines recently announced new restrictions on point allocation based on how you book a flight. What does that mean for loyalty members?

By Elaine Glusac

Elaine Glusac is the Frugal Traveler columnist, focusing on budget-friendly tips and journeys.

Earlier this month, American Airlines announced that beginning May 1, it will require travelers to book directly with the airline, partner airlines or “preferred travel agencies” in order to receive points in its loyalty program.

The unprecedented move confused many travelers eager to protect their mileage currency, prompting posts like this one on X: “@AmericanAir your news about earning miles/loyalty points is a bit concerning — we’re loyal to you no matter who we book through!”

In an email, a representative of the airline said that the approved list of travel agencies would not be published until April.

While there is much to be determined about the new policy, a battle for customers between the airline and third-party ticket sellers, which includes online travel agencies like Orbitz, has emerged. Here’s what travelers should know before booking their next flight.

What are the new points rules at American?

Currently, the biggest domestic carriers — including Delta Air Lines , United Airlines , Southwest Airlines and American — award points and miles to members of their loyalty programs on most tickets regardless of where they are sold.

American’s new rules state that in order to receive miles and points, travelers must book through its website, a Oneworld partner airline or approved travel agencies (with exceptions for those enrolled in its business program, which targets small companies, or with a corporate contract).

Also beginning May 1, fliers booking basic economy fares, the airline’s cheapest fares, may only earn points by booking through American’s website or its airline partners.

What’s behind the switch?

According to analysts, this is largely a behind-the-scenes fight over technology.

Travel agencies have long used distribution systems like Sabre and Amadeus to sell airline tickets. But many airlines are interested in using an emerging channel developed by the International Air Transport Association called New Distribution Capability . It offers airlines a more direct means of communicating with passengers, whom they can target with personalized fares or bundled offers not available in the traditional systems, providing opportunities to sell more services.

The “preferred” agencies that American said it will announce in April will be those making a substantial number of bookings on the new platform.

“American is dead set on being a more efficient airline and reducing its cost of sales, so they have issued this new edict and travel agents who choose not to follow along will find themselves on the losing end of the battle,” said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and the founder of the Atmosphere Research Group.

Many travel agents object to the speed of adopting a technology they say still has bugs. In a recent letter to the 18,000 member agencies of the American Society of Travel Advisors , the president and chief executive of the trade organization Zane Kerby called it “an underdeveloped technology,” with “basic servicing” issues that include problems with cancellations, booking multiple people on the same itinerary and rebooking.

Mr. Kerby cited a heightened risk to most business travelers using external agencies to make their bookings. “It feels like American Airlines is disenfranchising or willing to disenfranchise its most profitable and lucrative segment, which is the frequent business traveler,” he said.

In American’s new requirement that basic economy fliers book directly with the airline to earn miles, Brian Sumers, who writes the Airline Observer newsletter, sees a play for greater loyalty from thrifty travelers at a time when many airlines have abandoned them. Delta , for instance, no longer awards points to its basic economy passengers. United restricts basic economy fliers to one personal item carried aboard when flying domestically.

American wants those basic economy passengers, Mr. Sumers said. “The end goal is to get people so excited about having AAdvantage points and using them all the time, because that’s where they’re making money.”

How should I book to ensure I’m awarded miles for American flights?

If you are accustomed to booking online with the airline directly, earning miles is not endangered.

If you use a travel agency, including online sites like Expedia or Orbitz, check the list of approved agencies when it is published in April.

But even for travelers who are accustomed to D.I.Y. bookings, the new American policy poses some threat to earning miles. If you use a travel agent to plan a more complicated trip — say, an African safari or a trek to Machu Picchu in Peru — make sure the agent is approved by American or be prepared to make the booking yourself to earn miles.

“American is counting on the fact that travelers engaged with AAdvantage will want to remain engaged, so that if their travel agent is not onboard, the customer will find a different travel agent or opt to book directly,” Mr. Harteveldt said.

Will other airlines follow suit?

Experts say commercial aviation is a copycat industry; if a policy is successful, others are likely to follow. But it may not happen quickly in this case.

“There are some very expensive tickets that go through using the older system,” Mr. Sumers said, describing other airlines as “taking a watch-and-wait approach” to see if any defections from former American customers boost their business.

“By no means has this play reached its conclusions,” Mr. Harteveldt said. “We are in the first part of the first act.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

FAA lifts temporary ground stop of Alaska Airlines flights after technical issue is resolved

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ground stop for all Alaska Airlines flights Wednesday after grounding the planes earlier as a result of a computer problem at the carrier.

The Seattle-based airline said in a statement that an issue arose “while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance.”

The FAA initially approved a ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon flights starting at approximately 10:50 a.m. ET.

It was lifted just before 11:45 a.m. ET.

It wasn't immediately clear how many flights were affected. An Alaska spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rob Wile is a breaking business news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas as transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.