spill tea

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiominformalslang

   To share gossip or surprising secret news about people, often with enjoyment.

   Grammar: The verb spill changes form (spilled), and 'the' is normally added: spill the tea.

   Patterns

   • spill the tea
   • spill the tea about someone

   Come on, spill the tea about what happened at the party.

   She spilled the tea on her coworker's secret engagement.

   I know something juicy and I am dying to spill the tea.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   To accidentally knock over a cup of tea so that the drink runs out.

   Grammar: Literal meaning; the verb spill takes tea as a plain object.

   Patterns

   • spill tea on something

   He spilled tea on the keyboard and it stopped working.

   Be careful not to spill tea on the white tablecloth.

   The baby grabbed the cup and spilled tea everywhere.

Word forms

Common combinations

spill the tea on someone

She spilled the tea on her ex in an interview.

ready to spill the tea

I am ready to spill the tea about the trip.

spill the tea about something

He spilled the tea about the show's surprise ending.

time to spill the tea

It is time to spill the tea, so tell us everything.

refuse to spill the tea

Jo refused to spill the tea even after much begging.

Synonyms and how they differ

dish the dirt

Dish the dirt is an older expression for sharing scandal, while spill the tea is more current and playful.

gossip

Gossip is the plain, neutral word, whereas spill the tea sounds lively and slightly fun.

spill the beans

Spill the beans means to reveal any secret, not necessarily gossip about people.

Opposites

Word family

tea noun

in slang, gossip or true information

spill verb

to let liquid fall out, or to reveal secrets

spiller noun

a person who spills, rare

Commonly confused: spill tea or spill the beans?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “spill tea”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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