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tearoom

tearoom

4 3.0
A small cafe that serves tea with light meals like cakes and sandwiches
  • noun
  • /ˈtɪrˌum/
translation icon : salón de té
  • She invited me to meet her at the tearoom where they offer light meals and pastries.
  • shops and tearooms
  • tearoom and restaurant
  • open tearooms

Examples

  • I enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea with friends at the tearoom in the city center.

  • Lee laughed as she reached across the table at Miss Pansy's, a tearoom around the corner from her father's store.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Our path led to a tearoom.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • A chicken salad in the tearoom?

  • I worked in tearooms when I was 18.

  • I'm going to the Delta tearoom.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • A small tearoom in Stockholm, Sweden.

  • Salima ordered for me in the hotel's tearoom; it seems to be helping.

    Academic text (2004)
  • In the Delta tearoom, three of his colleagues sat around a table in silence, punctuated by occasional remarks.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The stained glass door of the tiny tearoom reflected the lamplight in round, gleaming patterns of blue and red.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

coffee shop
vstearoom
156 1.0

A small cafe where people buy coffee and light food

has its main focus on tea and light meals rather than coffee
coffeehouse
vstearoom
25 1.0

A small place where people drink coffee and eat light food

focuses on tea and light meals rather than coffee-centered service
lunchroom
vstearoom
  • US
18 1.0

A room in a school or workplace where people can buy and eat lunch

caters to the public for tea and light meals, not just midday lunches
luncheonette
vstearoom
  • Archaic
5 5.7

A small simple restaurant that serves coffee and sandwiches at a counter

serves tea and light meals but is less counter-focused and informal
teahouse
vstearoom
4 2.7

A place where people drink tea and eat light food

is the general term for places serving tea without special style
cookshop
vstearoom
  • Archaic
1 8.3

A small shop that sells hot meals to people

centres on serving tea and light meals rather than mainly cooked dishes
tea parlor
vstearoom
  • US
3.7

A small cafe where people drink tea and eat light food

is used for serving tea more generally, not necessarily elegant
teashop
vstearoom
  • UK
1.0

A small place where you drink tea and eat light snacks

is a broader place for serving tea and light meals rather than just refreshments

How Formal

tea parlor
  • US
3.7
tearoom
4 3.0
teashop
  • UK
1.0
coffee stall
  • Indian
1.7

Surface Forms

tearoom singular
tearooms plural
tearoom singular
tear room singular

Morphology

tearoom = tea + room (transparent) = tea + room

Clear compound of 'tea' + 'room' denoting a room/establishment where tea is served, directly derivable by learners.

Etymology

The word tearoom is made of tea, the hot drink from Asia, and room, which means 'place'. Tea came into English from the Chinese word 'te', so a tearoom is simply a place to drink tea and eat light food.