green tea

American  

noun

1. a tea that is steamed to prevent fermentation and then rolled and dried.

---

green tea British  

noun

1. a sharp tea made from tea leaves that have been steamed and dried quickly without fermenting

---

Etymology

Origin of green tea

First recorded in 1695–1705

Compare meaning

How does green-tea compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• black tea vs. green tea
• oolong vs. green tea

Example Sentences

"So simple things like swapping for decaf, also swapping fizzy drinks, alcohol, even green tea, for water and diluted juices will, after two weeks, make a massive improvement."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

For example, you could not tell a patient with cancer that drinking a glass of green tea every day for a year would cure them.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

What I always keep is a green tea.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Using an assembler in Germany, it takes grape juice, ferments it with bacteria which does not produce alcohol, and adds Chinese green tea to offer complexity and tannins.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

The liquid was pale green, the color of Japanese green tea.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston