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• tea party
  tea party

  noun

  a social gathering, usually in the afternoon, at which tea and light refreshments are served.
• Tea Party
  Tea Party

  noun

  (in the US) a political movement, associated with the right wing of the Republican Party, favouring reduction in taxation and government spending

tea party

American  

noun

tea parties plural

1. a social gathering, usually in the afternoon, at which tea and light refreshments are served.

2. (initial capital letters) a conservative political movement in the U.S. that opposes taxes and government spending: named in reference to the Boston Tea Party of 1773.

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Tea Party ¹ British  

noun

1. (in the US) a political movement, associated with the right wing of the Republican Party, favouring reduction in taxation and government spending

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tea party ² British  

noun

1. a social gathering in the afternoon at which tea is served

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tea parties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tea party

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tea party Tea Party

Vibes: cursed tea party, haunted cottage, abandoned in a mansion.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

With so many stations closed or short on gas, it felt like the Mad Hatter’s tea party paradox: “Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow, but never jam today.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

BOSTON—The home of a famous 1773 tea party is revolting again, this time over coffee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

A yellow and white dress, for instance, feels full of movement, fit equally for a tea party or a dance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025

Which one had been the one that had the tea party?

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

His father-in-law was a merchant who received the tea that provoked the Boston Tea Party in 1773.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

And around the corner, by the Fort Point Channel and near the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, sits rival Wellington.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

The King concluded his speech by thanking Trump for a "wonderful dinner," quipping that it was "a considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party".

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

“What was that all about?” former Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh asked me on Wednesday.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2025

I knew that a few black men had participated in the Boston Tea Party, but even so, the last thing I needed right now was to stand out.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin