tea dance

American  

noun

1. a dance held at teatime.

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tea dance British  

noun

1. a dance held in the afternoon at which tea is served

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Etymology

Origin of tea dance

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

In Belfast, there will be guided tours of wartime landmarks and a "tea dance" hosted in the City Hall.

From BBC • May 2, 2025

“Last Tango in Halifax” ended with the leads, Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid, at a tea dance.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2022

As You Are’s Half-and-Half combines a drag show and tea dance, offering both drag kings and DJs from 3 to 8 p.m.

From Washington Post • Jun. 9, 2022

The next day, the couple headed back to Boatslip for another afternoon tea dance, with guests attired in caftans and carrying parasols.

From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2021

In one of the lodges a band of men and women were celebrating a tea dance.

From The Warden of the Plains and Other Stories of Life in the Canadian North-west by Maclean, John