to make like a tourist

1 7.7

Act as if you are visiting a place for fun and look around

idiom

Informal

: comportarse como un turista

Whenever she moves to a new city, she likes to make like a tourist for the first week.

Examples

We rented bikes and spent the afternoon making like tourists through the historic district.
Let's make like a tourist and visit the museum!
On his day off, he decided to make like a tourist and visit all the local museums.
She decided to make like a tourist in her own city.
During our vacation in Paris, we decided to make like a tourist and visit all the famous landmarks.
Whenever we go to a new city, we always make like a tourist and take pictures of the sights.
On weekends, she often makes like a tourist and explores the local markets and attractions.

Synonyms

to visit

vsto make like a tourist

∞ 1.0

To go to see a person or place, usually for a short time

is specifically about exploring places casually and curiously for leisure

to see

vsto make like a tourist

686 1.0

To visit a place or event to look at its sights

is about exploring casually as a leisure visitor rather than just attending events

to sightsee

vsto make like a tourist

9 3.1

To visit famous or interesting places when you travel

explore places casually and with curiosity rather than focus on famous sites

to go walkabout

vsto make like a tourist

2 8.2

To travel without a set plan to explore and think

is casual leisure exploring that focuses on seeing places rather than aimless roaming

Antonyms

rush

21 4.1

Done quickly under pressure with less care than usual

How Curious

to explore

562 2.3

to make like a tourist

Informal

1 7.7

to look around

668 1.0

to pass by

104 1.2

to ignore

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

make like a tourist infinitive

made like a tourist past

made like a tourist past participle

making like a tourist present participle

makes like a tourist third person singular

Morphology

make + like + a + tourist

The meaning is directly compositional: 'make' (here 'pretend') + 'like' (similar to) + 'a tourist' yields 'pretend to be/act as a tourist'. This pattern parallels the common 'act/behave like X' construction and is therefore readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Make like a tourist comes from the image of someone acting as a tourist, to make like a tourist, walking with a map, taking photos and looking at the sights. So, it means 'to behave as a tourist' or 'to explore a place in a relaxed, curious way'.