tea
- noun
- /ti/
- UK
- During our tea gathering, everyone shared stories and enjoyed light conversation.
- afternoon tea
- a tea party
- a tea room
And just like that, you've got English tea sandwiches.
- And just like that, you've got English tea sandwiches.
- Then I met her in the House of Lords for tea.
- She left us tea and cookies and then we could freely talk.
- Like let's meet up and we just plan to all have tea that night or whatever it might be.
Examples
-
After a short nap, we sat on the balcony to have tea and special cakes we purchased in Hanoi.
Academic text (2006) -
Thought we could chat over some tea.
-
So there we have it, a nice simple little tea break fix.
-
We were always invited for tea, and we never had tea without cookies or something sweet.
Academic text (2001) -
Like let's meet up and we just plan to all have tea that night or whatever it might be.
-
Would you care to come back for tea when your husband's finished?
-
We had a wonderful afternoon tea on the grass with smiles and laughs all around.
Academic text (2007) -
The next afternoon, the Randalls came to take tea at Roger's invitation and to hear his progress report.
Fiction book (1992) -
Simply sitting down for tea with a diplomat fulfilled the Taliban's major needs before bargaining ever began.
Academic text (2010) -
We had a lovely afternoon tea with sandwiches and scones in the garden.
Synonyms
A time when people eat, for example breakfast or dinner
A light meal in the afternoon with tea and small cakes, sandwiches, or scones
Afternoon time when people have tea and a light meal like cakes
A light meal eaten between main meals
Idioms
- Informal
Refuse to do something even for a very large amount of money because it is too important to give up
- Informal
Something that is not related to what people are talking about
Compounds
- Literature
A political movement in the United States that wants smaller government and lower taxes
- UK
A drink people make by pouring hot water over dried camomile flowers to help them relax
A light meal in the afternoon with tea and small cakes, sandwiches, or scones
A protest in 1773 when American colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to protest taxes
- Formal
A formal event in Japan or China where people prepare and serve tea carefully according to tradition
A light tea made from young leaves with little processing that has a pale color and gentle flavor
A tea made from the leaves of a plant with yellow flowers that people use as medicine
- Archaic
A small evergreen shrub with white bell-shaped flowers whose leaves were used to make tea during the American Revolution
A bush with spiny branches that has purple flowers and bright orange-red berries
- NSFW
Leaves of a plant that people chew or brew as tea to feel more awake and a little happy
- US
An evergreen shrub with hairy leaves and small white flowers that people brew as tea
- US
A low shrub with white bell-shaped flowers and fragrant leaves used for herbal tea
A small bush that grows in the Rocky Mountains with sticky, scented leaves
A South American plant with dried leaves used to make mate, a hot caffeinated drink
- Specialized
A group of trees and bushes from Asia that includes the tea plant and camellias
How Filling
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tea also came to mean a light afternoon meal because people often had a cup of tea with sandwiches or cakes at that time. That's why in some places 'having tea' means a small meal as well as the drink.