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• black tie
  black tie

  noun

  a black bow tie, worn with a dinner jacket.
• black-tie
  black-tie

  adjective

  requiring that guests wear semiformal attire, especially that men wear black bow ties with tuxedos or dinner jackets.

black tie

¹ American  

noun

black ties plural

1. a black bow tie, worn with a dinner jacket.

2. semiformal evening wear for men (distinguished from white tie).

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black-tie ² American  

[blak-tahy] / ˈblækˈtaɪ /

adjective

1. 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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black tie British  

noun

1. a black bow tie worn with a dinner jacket

2. (modifier) denoting an occasion when a dinner jacket should be worn

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• black ties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of black tie¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Origin of black-tie²

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

black tie black-tie

Chey paired an ivory suit with a black tie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Some reports suggested a black tie dress code, complete with top hats for men and evening gloves for women.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

One thousand attendees in black tie are expected.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

“We’re not going to let anybody take over our society,” he told reporters who had rushed to the news conference still dressed in gowns and black tie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026

I went into the lunch bar, sat down in an end booth, and kept my left hand over my black tie while I ordered soup, rolls and black coffee.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Instead, reporters sat in their black-tie attire and behaved like sycophants.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

It also may have been his own ironic interpretation of the unwritten Cannes rule that men should be "en smoking" -- the French term for a black-tie dress suit.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

At the briefing, Trump expressed dismay at the violent outburst at the Washington Hilton, where the black-tie event has been held for more than 50 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026

It isn’t an event of multimillion-dollar distribution deals or black-tie galas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

When we hosted an event, I wanted everyday people to show up, not just those accustomed to black-tie attire.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• tux
• tuxedo