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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

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Etymology

Origin of tea party

First recorded in 1770–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tea party Tea Party

Maybe you could call it a tea party wokeness, purged of pedants and scolds.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 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

"Spending the day with my whole family and enjoying a lovely afternoon tea party with plenty of bubbles made it especially memorable," she said.

From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026

They had a tea party right on my table.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

It’s the kind of fraught moment that reminds Brendan Steinhauser of his involvement in the creation of the Tea Party a generation ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 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

The former Tea Party congressman from Illinois made it official this week: He’s now a Democrat.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025

Although, I frowned as I followed the Sons of Liberty out into the cold December night, the only participants in the Boston Tea Party were men.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

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