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definitions

black-tie

[ blak-tahy ]
/ ˈblækˈtaɪ /
|

adjective

requiring that guests wear semiformal attire, especially that men wear black bow ties with tuxedos or dinner jackets: a black-tie dance.

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RELATED WORDS

tux, tuxedo

Nearby words

  1. black-light trap,
  2. black-market,
  3. black-marketeer,
  4. black-on-black,
  5. black-tailed deer,
  6. black-water fever,
  7. blackacre,
  8. blackamoor,
  9. blackback flounder,
  10. blackball
Compare white-tie.

Origin of black-tie

First recorded in 1930–35

black tie

noun

a black bow tie, worn with a dinner jacket.
semiformal evening wear for men (distinguished from white tie).

Origin of black tie

First recorded in 1855–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for black-tie

British Dictionary definitions for black-tie

black tie

noun

a black bow tie worn with a dinner jacket
(modifier) denoting an occasion when a dinner jacket should be worn
Compare white tie
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012