black-tie

1 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly black tie
: characterized by or requiring the wearing of semiformal evening clothes consisting of a usually black tie and tuxedo for men and a formal dress for women
a black-tie dinner
compare white-tie

black tie

2 of 2

noun

: semiformal clothing
gentlemen in black tie for the banquet

Examples of black-tie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
The Amazon billionaire and former journalist tied the knot in grand fashion, hosting a whirlwind three-day affair complete with a lavish welcome party, wedding and black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025 The chairmen of Tabriz 2027 — the museum’s biennial black-tie fundraiser — also were announced. Arkansas Online, 30 June 2025
Noun
She's set to marry Bezos in June 2025 Bezos and Sánchez are set to get married in a black tie wedding ceremony, a source told PEOPLE. Alexia Fernández, People.com, 27 June 2025 With the recent surge in wedding culture and increase of formal and black tie wedding dress codes, black has become a popular bridesmaid dress choice. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for black-tie

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1933, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black-tie was in 1933

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Black-tie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black-tie. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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