high tea

American

noun

British.

a late afternoon or early evening meal similar to a light supper.

high tea British

noun

See tea

"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

Etymology

Origin of high tea

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

high tea

For my birthday, I just did an afternoon high tea at the Peninsula.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025

“We were brought up with the King, we celebrate the King’s birthday with the boys - it’s fun to have high tea and dress up in our best outfits.”

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2024

In June, Pennyroyal will host a “Bridgerton” themed, drag high tea and a high tea for Pride.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024

And second, whatever you do, please don’t mistake your tea for high tea!

From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2024

Thayee says the British invented high tea, but Indians and Pakistanis perfected it.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023