tea party

noun

1

: an afternoon social gathering at which tea is served

2

[from the Boston Tea Party, name applied to the occasion in 1773 when a shipment of tea was thrown into Boston harbor in protest against the tax on imports] : an exciting disturbance or proceeding

3

usually Tea Party : a 21st century U.S. political movement in favor of lower taxes, fewer government regulations and programs, strict immigration control, and a strong military

"Tea Party" has become something of a catch-all term to describe an impassioned and empowered group of populist conservatives. They are largely antigovernment, a lot of them are self-described libertarians, and many say they are new to political activism. It is easy to think of them as a singular entity and a growing one.

—Mark Leibovich

Conservative activists started holding "Tea Party" protests in 2009 to vent outrage over federal stimulus spending, the Wall Street bailout and rising national debt. The movement quickly had an electoral impact, culminating in the 2010 midterm elections when the GOP captured the House.

—Martha T. Moore

Examples of tea party in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In one of the essays, Fern, Andi, Carolina, and Emma hold a tea party while wearing wedding dresses, a celebration of sorts for Emma, who’d just ended her engagement. —Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 May 2024

Just in time for a spring tea party and Bridgerton binge session, Italian home appliance company SMEG launched a chic new collection. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 May 2024

The show will feature the club’s regular performers and is themed to be a mad tea party, so top hats and other costume attire is welcome.1 p.m. Saturday. —The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024

But once the accusations rope in women who aren’t public figures and turn into trivializing abuse, things devolve from a war of wits into a Shade Room tea party, which is no fun for anyone. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2024

To underscore the ideological fault lines of the primary: Shreve has the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, while Speedy is backed by the tea party group Americans for Prosperity and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. —Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 6 May 2024

Its early focus was on gun laws and other tea party pet causes, including immigration, the Affordable Care Act and attention-grabbing standoffs between ranchers and the Bureau of Land Management. —Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024

Yogurt Parfaits These make ahead yogurt parfaits only look like fussy tea party food. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2024

Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants and first female governor of South Carolina, was a tea party darling. —Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined at sense 1