tea
see also: Tea, TEA
Pronunciation Noun

tea

  1. (uncountable) The tea plant (Camellia sinensis); (countable) a variety of this plant.
    Darjeeling tea is grown in India.
  2. (uncountable) The dried leaves or buds of the tea plant; (countable) a variety of such leaves.
    Go to the supermarket and buy some Darjeeling tea.
    Not for all the tea in China.
  3. (uncountable) The drink made by infusing these dried leaves or buds in hot water.
    Would you like some tea?
  4. (uncountable) Any similar drink made by infusing parts of various other plants.
    camomile tea; mint tea
  5. (uncountable) Meat stock served as a hot drink.
    beef tea
  6. (countable, Commonwealth, northern US) A cup or (East Asia, Southern US) glass of any of these drinks, often with milk, sugar, lemon, and/or tapioca pearls.
  7. (uncountable, UK) A light midafternoon meal, typically but not necessarily including tea.
    • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 23:
      Tea was a very special institution, revolving as it did around the ceremony and worship of Toast. In [public schools] where alcohol, tobacco and drugs were forbidden, it was essential that something should take their place as a powerful and public totem of virility and cool. Toast, for reasons lost in time, was the substance chosen.
  8. (uncountable, Commonwealth) Synonym of supper#English|supper, the main evening meal, whether or not it includes tea.
    The family were sitting round the table, eating their tea.
  9. (cricket) The break in play between the second and third sessions.
    Australia were 490 for 7 at tea on the second day.
  10. (slang, dated) Synonym of marijuana#English|marijuana.
    • 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin 2010, page 103:
      So they were evidence. Evidence of what? That a man occasionally smoked a stick of tea, a man who looked as if any touch of the exotic would appeal to him. On the other hand lots of tough guys smoked marijuana […] .
    • 1946, Mezz Mezzrow & al., Really the Blues, Payback Press, 1999, page 74:
      Tea puts a musician in a real masterly sphere, and that's why so many jazzmen have used it.
    • 1947 March 11, William Burroughs, letter:
      Here in Texas possession of tea is a felony calling for 2 years.
  11. (slang, especially, gay slang and AAVE) Information, especially gossip.
    • 2015, Sonya Shuman, Doors of the Church Are Open: Smoke & Mirrors by Sonya Shuman:
      "What's the tea on you and China? Where she at Alicia? You should know where ya baby at."
    Spill the tea on that drama, hon.
Synonyms Verb

tea (teas, present participle teaing; past and past participle teaed)

  1. To drink tea.
  2. To take afternoon tea (the light meal).
    • 1877, The Bicycling Times and Tourist's Gazette (page 38)
      The wind was high and the hills ditto, and both being against us we were late in reaching Hitchin (30 from Cambridge), so giving up the idea of reaching Oxford we toiled on through Luton, on to Dunstable (47), where we teaed moderately […]
Noun

tea (plural teas)

  1. A moment, a historical unit of time from China, about the amount of time needed to quickly drink a traditional cup of tea. It is now found in Chinese-language historical fiction.

Tea
Proper noun
  1. A city in South Dakota

TEA
Noun

tea

  1. (countable, Northern Ireland) Training and employment agency.
  2. (uncountable) Acronym of triethylaluminium
  3. (uncountable) Abbreviation of triethylamine#English|triethylamine.
  4. (uncountable) Abbreviation of triethanolamine#English|triethanolamine.
Synonyms Adjective

tea (not comparable)

  1. (US, politics) Taxed enough already.



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