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Definition of tea party
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 The sometimes verbose 64-year-old Johnson, a second-term senator who emerged from the tea party movement in 2010, has a background similar to Trump’s.
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Washington Post, "Wisconsin’s Johnson is Trump witness, backer and maybe juror," 20 Nov. 2019 The sources didn’t provide any further information, but earlier on Thursday, Kate took part in a tea party for the winners at Kensington Palace with William.
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Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, "Kate Middleton Cancels Outing with Prince William at the Last-Minute Because of Her Kids," 21 Nov. 2019 Whereas other styles participate in tea parties or karaoke as a big part of their hang-out culture.
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Sara Radin, Teen Vogue, "Hard Decora Is the Chicago-based Creative Promoting an Aggressively Cute Lifestyle Through Fashion and Art," 15 Nov. 2019 Check out one of these festive Denver-area events, which run the gamut from zombie proms to witches’ balls, pineapple-carving and tea parties.
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Beth Rankin, The Know, "From Zombie Prom to trick-or-treat, 14 spooky Denver Halloween parties," 24 Oct. 2019 Last year, Amodei easily defeated a primary challenge from tea party favorite Sharron Angle and a general election challenge from former Obama administration official Clint Koble.
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BostonGlobe.com, "LAS VEGAS — GOP Rep. Mark Amodei’s comment seemed harmless enough. Asked what he thought of the Democrats’ impeachment probe into President Trump, the Nevada Republican gave reporters a vague dodge: ‘‘Let’s put it through the process and see what happens.’’," 2 Oct. 2019 Last year, Amodei easily defeated a primary challenge from tea party favorite Sharron Angle and a general election challenge from former Obama administration official Clint Koble.
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Michelle L. Price, chicagotribune.com, "A Nevada GOP congressman is facing Republican backlash after off-message impeachment remarks: ‘Let‘s put it through the process and see what happens’," 1 Oct. 2019 Last year, Amodei easily defeated a primary challenge from tea party favorite Sharron Angle and a general election challenge from former Obama administration official Clint Koble.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "Off message: A Republican takes heat for impeachment remarks," 1 Oct. 2019 Walsh also apologized for his past criticism of former President Barack Obama during his time in office, saying he and other tea party Republicans helped create a partisan political environment that facilitated Trump's election.
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Author: Joseph Marks, Felicia Sonmez, Anchorage Daily News, "Former congressman Joe Walsh announces primary challenge against Trump," 25 Aug. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tea party.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for tea party
The first known use of tea party was in 1778
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