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Glite Dictionary
ticket tout

ticket tout

8.6
A person who buys event tickets then sells them for more money
  • noun
  • /ˈtɪkɪt taʊt/
  • UK
translation icon : revendedor de boletos
  • The ticket tout sold his tickets for three times the original price.

Examples

  • The ticket tout was selling concert passes for three times their face value outside the stadium.

  • Police arrested a ticket tout for reselling football tickets illegally near the entrance.

  • It's often risky to buy tickets from a ticket tout rather than an official vendor.

  • I saw a ticket tout outside the concert venue.

  • The ticket tout sold concert passes for three times their original price.

  • I was approached by a ticket tout who claimed he had front-row seats available.

  • At the stadium, many ticket touts were trying to sell tickets to the sold-out game.

Synonyms

scalper
vsticket tout
  • US
13 7.0

A person who buys tickets or goods to sell them for much higher prices

focuses only on reselling event passes rather than selling many different goods
tout
vsticket tout
  • UK
8.6

A person who buys event tickets and sells them for a higher price

is not necessarily illegal and may be done with permission

Surface Forms

ticket tout singular
ticket touts plural

Morphology

ticket + tout

The meaning is directly compositional: 'ticket' names the object and 'tout' denotes a person who resells/promotes, so together they clearly refer to a person who resells tickets. This noun–noun modifier pattern is common and mirrors terms like 'ticket scalper' in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Ticket tout may come from old British use of tout for a person who stands near events and offers goods or information to people. Picture someone outside a concert selling extra tickets for more money — that image explains why a ticket tout means 'a person who buys tickets and resells them at a higher price'.