tea

tea — noun

1. a beverage made by placing dried, cut tea-plant leaves in hot water until the fl

1.nounA1
Definition

a beverage made by placing dried, cut tea-plant leaves in hot water until the flavour transfers to the water; also, those prepared leaves used for this purpose

Example

Paul always starts his morning with a cup of hot black tea.

collocation: black tea / green tea / oolong tea

The shelf in the pantry holds several boxes of oolong tea from Taiwan.

Common collocations
  • black tea
  • green tea
  • oolong tea
  • white tea
  • strong tea
  • weak tea
  • iced tea
  • hot tea
  • fresh tea
  • brew tea
  • steep tea
  • sip tea
  • tea leaves
  • loose tea
  • tea bag
Synonyms
  • brew

    informal British usage; 'a nice cup of brew' or 'make a brew'

  • cuppa

    British informal shortening of 'cup of tea'; 'fancy a cuppa?'

2. a bush-like plant native to East Asia and cultivated in warm, rainy regions, who

2.nounB1
Definition

a bush-like plant native to East Asia and cultivated in warm, rainy regions, whose young leaves and buds are picked and processed into leaves for the beverage

Example

The tea plant grows best in the cool highlands of Sri Lanka.

Farmers on this Kenyan hillside have grown tea plants for three generations.

collocation: grow tea plants

Common collocations
  • grow tea
  • tea plantation
  • tea bush
  • tea estate
  • cultivate tea
  • harvest tea
Synonyms
  • tea bush

    used when referring to the cultivated shrub form, which is pruned to waist height for harvesting

  • Camellia sinensis

    botanical Latin name; used in scientific or technical contexts

3. any hot beverage created by adding just-boiled water to flowers, fruit pieces, s

3.nounA2
Definition

any hot beverage created by adding just-boiled water to flowers, fruit pieces, spices, or leaves from plants other than the tea shrub

Example

Kian drinks peppermint tea every night before going to bed.

collocation: peppermint tea / chamomile tea / ginger tea

This chamomile tea helped Harper relax after a stressful week at work.

Common collocations
  • herbal tea
  • fruit tea
  • chamomile tea
  • peppermint tea
  • ginger tea
  • rooibos tea
  • herbal infusion
Synonyms
  • herbal tea

    the most common term for any non-Camellia plant infusion

  • tisane

    formal or technical term; rarely used in everyday conversation

  • infusion

    broader term covering any drink made by steeping plant material in hot water

4. a single serving of the drink, usually served in a cup or glass

4.nounA1
Definition

a single serving of the drink, usually served in a cup or glass

Example

The waitress brought Eli another cup of tea without being asked.

Would you like a cup of tea before you head back out into the rain?

phrase: a cup of tea

Common collocations
  • a cup of tea
  • a pot of tea
  • a glass of iced tea
  • another tea
  • two teas
  • order a tea
Synonyms
  • cup of tea

    more explicit and slightly more formal than just 'tea'

  • cuppa

    British informal; 'Grab a cuppa' means 'get a cup of tea'

Usage Note

In countable form, 'two teas' means two cups or glasses of the drink. This works for any variety of tea — black, green, herbal — and is very common in restaurants and cafes.

Common Mistakes

I'd like two teas, please.' (said when meaning two types of tea)
I'd like two cups of tea, please.
'two teas' normally means two cups, not two varieties.

5. a selection of small foods such as finger sandwiches and cakes, served around mi

5.nounB1
Definition

a selection of small foods such as finger sandwiches and cakes, served around mid-to-late afternoon alongside a pot of the beverage

Example

The hotel serves afternoon tea with finger sandwiches and scones every day at three.

collocation: afternoon tea

Grandma treated us to afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel for her birthday.

Common collocations
  • afternoon tea
  • high tea
  • cream tea
  • have tea
  • serve tea
  • afternoon tea menu
  • tea time
Synonyms
  • afternoon tea

    the standard term for this light meal

  • cream tea

    a simpler version served with scones, jam, and clotted cream, but no sandwiches

Usage Note

This sense is primarily British. In the UK, 'afternoon tea' is a special occasion meal, while 'high tea' (also called 'meat tea') is a working-class evening meal. Outside the UK, 'afternoon tea' is often associated with hotels and tourist experiences.

Common Mistakes

Let's go for high tea at the Ritz.
Let's go for afternoon tea at the Ritz.
Most fancy hotels serve afternoon tea, not high tea. 'High tea' traditionally refers to a working-class evening meal.

6. the hot, substantial meal served around five to six o'clock in the evening — a t

6.nounB1
Definition

the hot, substantial meal served around five to six o'clock in the evening — a term most common in northern England and Scotland

Example

In northern England, many families call their cooked evening meal 'tea'.

variety: Northern British usage

Mum is cooking a roast chicken with potatoes for tea tonight.

collocation: for tea (= as the evening meal)

Common collocations
  • for tea
  • have tea
  • at tea
  • what's for tea
  • tea time
  • cook tea
  • come home for tea
Synonyms
  • dinner

    standard term for the main evening meal across most of the UK and other English-speaking countries

  • supper

    used in some UK regions and North America for a lighter evening meal

Usage Note

In British households that use 'tea' for the evening meal, the midday meal is called 'dinner' or 'lunch', and the term 'dinner' may also refer to the evening meal in other regions. This usage can be confusing for learners — check the speaker's region to know which meal they mean.

Common Mistakes

I'm having tea with my friends at 7 p.m.' (meaning a drink, but a British listener might expect a meal)
Use 'a cup of tea' for the drink, or 'tea' in context: 'We're having tea at six
roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.'
Idioms

not somebody's cup of tea

idiom

used to say that something is not what a person likes, enjoys, or is interested in

Horror films are not really my cup of tea — I prefer comedies and dramas.

Camping in the rain is not everyone's cup of tea, but my family loves the outdoors.

spill the tea

idiom

informal slang meaning to share gossip or reveal private, interesting information about someone

OK, everyone, spill the tea — what happened at the party last night?

The celebrity blog spilled all the tea about the secret wedding.

not for all the tea in China

idiom

used to emphasize that nothing could persuade someone to do something they do not want to do

I would not go back to that job for all the tea in China — it was awful.

Amira said she would not move to the city for all the tea in China.

not somebody’s cup of tea

idiom

Something that a person does not enjoy or find interesting.

Classical music is not my cup of tea, but my dad loves it.

Is hiking your cup of tea, or would you prefer a museum?

spill the beans/tea

idiom

To reveal secret or private information to someone.

Mia spilled the beans about the surprise party to her brother.

Don't spill the tea on my new job until I announce it.

Word family

  • teacup
    nounB1
  • teapot
    nounA2
  • teaspoon
    nounA2
  • tearoom
    nounB1
  • tea bag
    nounA2
  • teahouse
    nounB1
  • tea leaf
    nounA2
  • tea tree
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Tea' (sense 1) is the everyday word for the drink made from Camellia sinensis leaves. 'Brew' is informal British slang — 'make a brew' means prepare tea, not coffee, and it carries a cosy, domestic tone. 'Cuppa' is even more casual: short for 'cup of tea', used in invitations ('Fancy a cuppa?') and always implies a hot, comforting drink. 'Infusion' is a broader, more technical term covering any plant material steeped in hot water, including non-tea plants, so it overlaps with sense 3 (herbal tea) as well. 'Tisane' is the formal botanical term for a medicinal or herbal infusion and is rarely heard in everyday conversation — you might see it on a tea-shop menu but not at the dinner table. For a learner, 'brew' and 'cuppa' are useful for understanding British conversation; 'infusion' is helpful for reading product labels; 'tisane' is mostly passive vocabulary.

brew ↗cuppa ↗infusion ↗tisane

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cup of tea
  • pot of tea
  • tea bag
  • tea leaves
  • tea shop
  • tea time

Phrases

  • make a cup of tea
  • have a cup of tea
  • put the kettle on
  • brew up

Prepositions

  • with (tea with milk / with lemon)
  • without (tea without sugar)

Etymology

Chinese (Min Chinese)DutchEnglish

The word 'tea' entered English in the mid-1600s via Dutch 'thee', which came from the Amoy Min Chinese (Fujian) pronunciation 'tê'. A separate form of the word, 'cha' (as in 'chai'), came overland through the Silk Road from Mandarin Chinese and Persian, arriving in English later and remaining as a borrowed term for spiced Indian-style tea. The two global pathways — maritime (tê → tea/thee) and overland (cha → chai) — reflect the two major trade routes that brought the drink from China to the rest of the world.