white-tie

adjective

ˈ(h)wīt-ˈtī 

variants or less commonly white tie

: characterized by or requiring the wearing of formal evening clothes consisting of white bow tie and tailcoat for men and a formal gown for women

a white-tie dinner

compare black-tie

Examples of white-tie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After a white-tie dinner at The White House on Tuesday, King Charles and Queen Camilla headed north to New York City on Wednesday to visit the 9/11 Memorial, the New York Public Library, and other sites, before hitting the King’s Trust Global Gala. — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 30 Apr. 2026

The state dinner that closed the day was the first white-tie state dinner at the White House since 2007. — Penny Abeywardena, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2026

The royal couple attended a white-tie state dinner, visited the Children's National Medical Center and laid a wreath at the World War II Memorial. — Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026

The dinner was organized by the Queen in return for a white-tie dinner, the first of its kind hosted by the Bush family at the White House. — Callum Sutherland, Time, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above