high tea

American

noun

British.

a late afternoon or early evening meal similar to a light supper.

high tea British

noun

See tea

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of high tea

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I've taken Bear for a fancy high tea - he had his own one," she laughed.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

For my birthday, I just did an afternoon high tea at the Peninsula.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025

And second, whatever you do, please don’t mistake your tea for high tea!

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2024

Treat yourself to high tea; the tea and food are top-notch and you can continue to take in the beauty of the gardens from the tea room thanks to its large windows.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2022

Alisha was ready to throw in the towel, but Bonnie wanted to go for high tea at the Plaza Hotel.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023