tea break

American  

noun

Chiefly British.

1. an intermission from work, usually in the middle of the morning or afternoon, for a cup of tea, a snack, etc.

---

tea break British  

noun

1. a short rest period during working hours during which tea, coffee, etc is drunk

---

Example Sentences

The couple surprised healthcare staff on their tea break and chatted to them about the pressures they faced during the winter virus season.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

He forfeited the Oval Test between England and Pakistan in 2006 when the away side refused to return after the tea break having been penalised for ball-tampering by the umpires.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2024

As a truck rolls out of the Bhutanese bottling plant, operated by Veen Waters India, the 40-some line workers take a tea break along a short row of employee housing.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 20, 2023

Know someone who could use a tea break?

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2020

The tea break was one of the ways the brutal sugar-slave world of the plantations and the new work rhythm of the industrial factory were linked.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson