Meaning & use
black tie party
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A formal social event where guests are expected to wear evening clothes such as tuxedos and long dresses.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a black tie party' or 'black tie parties'.
Patterns
- a black tie party
- at a black tie party
The charity is holding a black tie party to raise money for the hospital.
He rented a tuxedo for the black tie party.
She bought a long gown for the black tie party at the hotel.
Word forms
| plural | black tie parties |
|---|
Common combinations
- a black tie event
- The awards ceremony is a black tie event, so please dress formally.
- black tie dinner
- They attended a black tie dinner at the embassy.
- black tie dress code
- The invitation says the black tie dress code is required.
- black tie gala
- The museum's black tie gala raised over a million dollars.
Synonyms and how they differ
- formal
- A formal party can mean any event with a dress code, but a black tie party specifically requires tuxedos and evening gowns.
- gala
- A gala is a special festive event, often with entertainment, and it may or may not be black tie.
Opposites
Commonly confused: black tie party or black-tie?
black tie party vs black-tie
As an adjective, 'black-tie' describes the dress code or the event: 'a black-tie dinner'. As a noun phrase, 'black tie party' is the event itself.
Practice
What should a man usually wear to a black tie party?
Choose one answer.
A black tie party requires a tuxedo (or formal evening wear). A business suit is too informal, and a black necktie alone is not enough.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “black tie party”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.