teanoun
uk/tiː/us/tiː/tea noun (DRINK)
A1 [ C or U ] (a drink made by pouring hot water onto) dried and cut leaves and sometimes flowers, especially the leaves of the tea plant:
China/Indian tea
iced/lemon tea
a selection of herbal teas
The waitress brought us two steaming cups of tea.
"Shall I pour the tea?" "No, let it brew (= get stronger) a while."
How do you like your tea - strong or weak?
We sat in the shade of a tree, sipping tea and eating scones.
I'm not much of a tea drinker.
UK Tea and biscuits will be provided at eleven o'clock.
UK informal How about a nice cup of tea? That'll make you feel better.
[ C ] a cup of tea:
Two teas, please.
More examples
- This tea is very hot, so sip it carefully.
- Caffeine, which is found in coffee and tea, is a mild stimulant.
- I can't stand weak tea.
- India grows tea for export.
- Could I have two cups of coffee and a tea, please?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Warm drinks
- Americano
- arabica
- bed-tea
- black tea
- blended
- cocoa
- coffee
- coffee maker
- cuppa
- decaf
- hot chocolate
- how do you like...? idiom
- infuse
- infusion
- Irish coffee
- rooibos
- stewed
- tea ball
- teabag
- teapot
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tea noun (MEAL)
B1 [ U or C ] mainly UK a small meal eaten in the late afternoon, usually including cake and a cup of tea
[ U or C ] UK a meal that is eaten in the early evening and is usually cooked
Examples
- We had baked beans for tea.
- Adam invited a few friends round for tea.
- What time are we having tea?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Meals & parts of meals
- accompaniment
- afternoon tea
- afters
- amuse-bouche
- antipasto
- dinner
- dinner party
- dinner time
- elevenses
- English breakfast
- packed lunch
- picnic
- plate meal
- ploughman's lunch
- postprandial
- smorgasbord
- teatime
- tiffin
- TV dinner
- working lunch/breakfast
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Idiom(s)
tea and sympathy
would not do sth for all the tea in China