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tea bag

1 American  

noun

  1. a container of thin paper or cloth holding a measured amount of tea leaves for making an individual serving of tea.


tea-bag 2 American  
[tee-bag] / ˈtiˌbæg /

verb (used with object)

Slang.
tea-bagged, tea-bagging
  1. to place one's scrotum in the mouth of (one's sexual partner).


tea bag British  

noun

  1. a small bag of paper or cloth containing tea leaves, infused in boiling water to make 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

Usage

What does tea-bag mean? Tea-bagging is the act of placing one's testicles in the mouth of another person, often repeatedly, raising and lowering it like a person dipping a tea bag.Content warning: the following sections include further references to sexual content, which is involved in the history and use of the slang term.

Etymology

Origin of tea bag1

First recorded in 1900–05

Origin of tea-bag2

From its resemblance to dipping a tea bag in a cup of hot water

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.

The service said in some cases parents had been going without food so their children could eat, or were making items like one tea bag last a week.

From BBC • May 14, 2025

Jurado swirled around a Rooibos tea bag with a tag read, “Your Actions Prove Your Greatness.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024

Her second key tip is to dunk your tea bag up and down.

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2024

He told them to use a plain old Lipton tea bag soaked in water and gently squeezed out.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2023

She handed one to me without milk, the string of the tea bag trailing over the side, and sat down at the table.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri