formal evening dress for men (distinguished from black tie).
a white bow tie for men, worn with formal evening dress.
a white bow tie worn as part of a man's formal evening dress
formal evening dress for men
( as modifier )
a white-tie occasion
First recorded in 1950–55
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Trump loves to dress up in white tie and tails to hob-nob with the royals.
From Salon ● May 3, 2026
Guests, which also included Republican lawmakers and several Fox personalities, wore white tie and enjoyed a three-course meal that included ravioli with herbs from the White House garden and Dover sole.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Asked to confirm that Mr. Spacey had arrived by private jet, Mr. John said he supposed that was the case because he did not think anyone wore white tie on a commercial flight.
From New York Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
Gowns are floor length here, too, but can be more casual than white tie in materials and structure.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 26, 2022
The second man was huge, of a light coffee color, imposing in a frock coat and white tie.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
Saturday evening, more than 600 Washington VIPs, including administration officials, lawmakers, reporters and editors gather for the annual white-tie Gridiron Dinner.
From Reuters ● Mar. 15, 2023
“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said during remarks at the annual white-tie Gridiron Dinner attended by politicians and journalists.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2023
Later, the King will host a glittering white-tie banquet at Buckingham Palace for President Ramaphosa where both men will give speeches.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2022
Said world’s richest man, Elon Musk, was actually there, in a white-tie tux “like I’m from ‘Downton Abbey’ or something,” and joking about using the night to find investors.
From Washington Post ● May 2, 2022
For Britain, of course, that would be Queen Elizabeth II, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, who welcomed him to Buckingham Palace last year with an 82-gun salute and a lavish white-tie state banquet.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2020
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
