Pronunciations (6)
-
/tiː/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
-
[tʰɪj ~ tʰiː]
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
-
/ti/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
-
[tʰi]
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
-
ti
Pronunciation notes
- US
-
tiː
Pronunciation notes
- GB
Noun
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis); (countable) a variety of this plant.
Usage- Uncountable
- Examples
-
Darjeeling tea is grown in India.
The dried leaves or buds of the tea plant; (countable) a variety of such leaves.
Usage- Uncountable
- Examples
-
Go to the supermarket and buy some Darjeeling tea.
Not for all the tea in China.
The drink made by infusing these dried leaves or buds in hot water.
Usage- Uncountable
- Examples
-
I drink warm tea.
Would you like some tea?
She is drinking her tea right now.
More examples (1)
Mother[…]considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, from which every Kensingtonian held aloof, except on the conventional tip-and-run excursions in pursuit of shopping, tea and theatres.
Specifically sweet tea, an iced tea supersaturated with sugar.
Usage- Southern-US
- Countable
- Uncountable
Any drink which is similar to Camellia sinensis tea in some way
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
-
More examples (1)
Mushroom Tea / 8 cups water / 1 cup dried reishi mushroom pieces [...] 1. Start by making Reishi Mushroom Tea: Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. 2. Add the reishi mushroom pieces[…]
Any drink which is similar to Camellia sinensis tea in some way: Any similar drink made by infusing parts of various other plants.
Usage- Uncountable
- Examples
-
camomile tea; mint tea
Curcuma tea relieves colds[…]
Any drink which is similar to Camellia sinensis tea in some way: Meat stock served as a hot drink.
Usage- In compounds
- Uncountable
- Examples
-
beef tea
A cup of any of these drinks, often with milk, sugar, lemon, or tapioca pearls.
Usage- Commonwealth usage
- Northern-US
- Countable
- Examples
-
We'd like one tea and one coffee, please.
A glass of these drinks.
Usage- Southern-US
- Countable
- Uncountable
A light midafternoon meal, typically but not necessarily including tea.
Usage- UK usage
- Uncountable
- Examples
-
I won't make it to the breakfast event, but I'll see you at the tea.
More examples (2)
But the gorge of the Rush was not at all a nice place for travelling either. I mean, it was not a nice place for people in a hurry. For an afternoon's ramble ending in a picnic tea it would have been delightful.
Tea was a very special institution, revolving as it did around the ceremony and worship of Toast. In a place [public schools] where alcohol, tobacco and drugs were forbidden, it was essential that something should take their place as a powerful and public totem of virility and cool. Toast, for reasons lost in time, was the substance chosen.
Synonym of supper, the main evening meal, whether or not it includes the drink tea.
Usage- Commonwealth usage
- Ireland
- Uncountable
- Examples
-
The family were sitting round the table, eating their tea.
More examples (1)
Breakfast was composed of a meal which reminded me of a linseed poultice; for dinner there were potatoes boiled in their jackets with beef saltier than the ocean itself. [...] Tea was something like breakfast.
Jacki set about making the tea—bacon grills with chips and bread and butter.
The break in play between the second and third sessions.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
-
Australia were 490 for 7 at tea on the second day.
As recently as the mid-80s the players would be given a bottle of beer at lunchtime at some county grounds, and "tea" still meant a cup of tea into the 90s.
Synonym of marijuana.
Usage- Countable
- Dated
- Slang
- Uncountable
- Examples
-
More examples (1)
So they were evidence. Evidence of what? That a man occasionally smoked a stick of tea, a man who looked as if any touch of the exotic would appeal to him. On the other hand lots of tough guys smoked marijuana […].
Tea puts a musician in a real masterly sphere, and that's why so many jazzmen have used it.
Here in Texas possession of tea is a felony calling for 2 years.
More examples (2)
Jive music and tea were the two most important components of the hipster's life.
Seeing that we didn’t know anything about ourselves, he whipped out three sticks of tea and said to go ahead, supper’d be ready soon.
Information, especially gossip.
Usage- Countable
- Slang
- Uncountable
- Examples
-
Spill the tea on that drama, hon.
More examples (1)
Now I've told you that I've taken LSD, and you think I'm gonna leap through a window or something like that. And you know why that is, that's because of Art Linkletter's daughter.... But let me give you the tea on her, see, she took LSD, realized she was Art Linkletter's daughter, and threw herself out of the window!
"What's the tea on you and China? Where she at Alicia? You should know where ya baby at."
More examples (1)
For those looking for tea on someone, one of the first places you should look is their Venmo account. ... Though most people have found out how to make all of their transactions private, preventing snooping eyes from seeing how many times they've gone out for brunch in the last month, JD Vance hasn't seemed to figure that out yet.
Verb
To drink tea.
Usage- Intransitive
- Examples
-
We tea’d with May, and had to wait over an hour for a taxi!
I dined yesterday at | three on mutton chops and 1/2 pint of E[ast] I [ndian] sherry, and then tead and muffined' at 8.
More examples (1)
We coffeed and tead and smoked a trench torch with Grand Master Browning, and cranked our Cadillac for another station.
To take afternoon tea (a light meal).
Usage- Intransitive
- Examples
-
More examples (1)
The wind was high and the hills ditto, and both being against us we were late in reaching Hitchin (30 from Cambridge), so giving up the idea of reaching Oxford we toiled on through Luton, on to Dunstable (47), where we teaed moderately […]
To give tea to.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
-
More examples (4)
And they’ve got Professor Hummums with ’em, the great Everlasting Star of the Nineteenth Century, which he has breakfasted and dined and tea’d and supped here ever since yesterday.
In half an hour they had all been tea’d and coffeed and refreshed by the nurses, and shortly after were all undressed and put to bed clean and comfortable, and in a droll state of grateful wonder;
But one or two evil-disposed characters muttered they might be sure the lady had her own turn to serve, and they might be sure they wasn't "teaed and muffined and sandwiched for nothing!"
This gentleman was presented by Colonel C. E. S. Wood, and was entertained here—wined, dined, tead, breakfasted, coffeed and luncheoned—and we bought his pictures.
After I’d tea’d everyone and Oz had breakfasted them,[…]
Adjective
Good-looking, sexy.
Usage- Slang
Noun
A moment, a historical unit of time from China, about the amount of time needed to quickly drink a traditional cup of tea.
Noun
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
- Examples
-
iced tea is a cooling drink
a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes
- Synonyms
- Examples
-
an Englishman would interrupt a war to have his afternoon tea
a tropical evergreen shrub or small tree extensively cultivated in e.g. China and Japan and India; source of tea leaves
- Synonyms
- Examples
-
tea has fragrant white flowers
dried leaves of the tea shrub; used to make tea
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
-
the store shelves held many different kinds of tea
they threw the tea into Boston harbor