tea party

noun

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 BAFTA Los Angeles’ annual awards season tea party, set for January 8 in Los Angeles, has been canceled. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 23 Dec. 2021 The other is this hard charging tea party, conservative Republican from Tennessee. — Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2021 On one side stood Women for America First, led by Amy Kremer, a Republican operative who helped found the tea party movement. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 June 2021 While the health care plan stalled, the conservative tea party movement -- in many ways the antecedent of Trump's preponderantly White, non-urban political movement -- erupted in opposition to the proposal. — Ronald Brownstein, CNN, 1 June 2021 Ginni Thomas became a leader in the tea party movement during the early years of President Barack Obama's tenure. — Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2022 Best known for fueling the tea party movement and whipping up climate change skepticism and opposition to the Affordable Care Act, Americans for Prosperity got $8 million from Koch Industries in 2020, the records show. — NBC News, 18 Mar. 2022 At the event, the women, in their best tea party dresses and fascinators, were gifted a box full of gifts, including roses, champagne and champagne flutes, candles and more. — Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 8 Mar. 2022 The senator has faced tough reelection campaigns before -- winning as a write-in candidate in 2010 after losing the GOP primary to a tea party challenger. — Terence Burlij, CNN, 26 Feb. 2022 See More

These 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.