Meaning & use
tea shower
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Meaning
nouncountableinformal
A casual social gathering, usually for women, where tea and snacks are served, often to celebrate a wedding or a new baby.
Grammar: Countable: a tea shower, two tea showers. Often used with 'have' or 'throw'.
Patterns
- have a tea shower
- throw a tea shower for someone
- at a tea shower
They threw a tea shower for her before the wedding.
I'm going to a tea shower this weekend; I need to buy a gift.
A tea shower is usually smaller and more relaxed than a bridal shower.
Word forms
| plural | tea showers |
|---|
Common combinations
- throw a tea shower
- Her friends threw a tea shower at a cozy café.
- attend a tea shower
- I'll attend a tea shower for my cousin on Sunday.
- a tea shower for someone
- We're planning a tea shower for the bride-to-be.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bridal shower
- A party for a bride, often with gifts; 'tea shower' is a more specific, tea-themed version.
- baby shower
- A party for an expectant mother; 'tea shower' can also be for a baby but focuses on tea.
- tea party
- A social event with tea; 'tea shower' is specifically a gift-giving party.
Word family
- shower noun
- a party where gifts are given, especially for a bride or baby
Commonly confused: tea shower or shower?
tea shower vs shower
Without 'tea', 'shower' often means a bath or a brief rain; 'tea shower' is a party.
Practice
They decided to ______ a tea shower for their friend who is getting married.
Choose one answer.
We 'throw' a party or shower. 'Make', 'do', and 'put' do not collocate with 'shower' in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tea shower”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.