tea party
nounDefinition 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
After Barack Obama's election as president in 2008, the Koch brothers' network helped nurture the grass-roots conservative faction known as the tea party movement. — Bill Hewitt, Anchorage Daily News, "David Koch, billionaire industrialist who influenced conservative politics, dies at 79," 23 Aug. 2019 Newly empowered Republicans used that process to their favor following the tea party victories, and Democrats want to use the same playbook. — Brian Slodysko, Fortune, "Democrats Are Spending Millions to Try to Take Back Statehouses," 20 Aug. 2019 Much like another son of Bexar County, former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, Hurd was a traditional Republican grappling with the changing order created by the tea party movement (a movement that led to Trump’s ascendance). — Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Hurd walked a thin line in his congressional swing district," 3 Aug. 2019 Cruz was first elected to Senate in 2012 on the strength of his grass-roots team and connections to the tea party movement. — Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, "As Democrats prepare for Senate primary rumble, incumbent John Cornyn building organization, raising cash," 19 July 2019 Visit the Whittier Home Victorian Garden in Amesbury for a nice summer tea party. — Maysoon Khan, BostonGlobe.com, "North Informer: Jazz classes, summer tea party, and a kitchen tour," 18 July 2019 This was a gift to tea party types and other conservatives whose goal was to shrink federal programs (typically, those that served the working class and the poor). — Los Angeles Times, "Column: With the debt ceiling fight, Congress and Trump are playing with fire -- again," 16 July 2019 Last year, the Beckhams spared no expense for Harper’s birthday, hosting a posh afternoon tea party with pony rides for the then-7-year-old. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Gang's All Here! All Four Beckham Children Celebrate Harper's Birthday at Special Dinner," 11 July 2019 So, just to recap, Meghan is an American girl who grew up to be an actress and then an actual, tiara-wearing duchess and now she's set to have a birthday tea party with the Queen of England. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "The Queen Is Reportedly Planning a Birthday Tea for Meghan Markle," 29 June 2019These 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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