Meaning & use
teas
Last updated
“teas” is a form of “tea”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
more than one type or serving of tea, especially different kinds of tea leaves or drinks.
Grammar: Plural of 'tea': two teas, several teas. For the drink in general, 'tea' is uncountable.
Patterns
- two teas, please
- a range of teas
- herbal teas
The cafe offers more than twenty teas from around the world.
Two teas and a coffee, please.
She keeps green, black, and mint teas in separate jars.
nounpluralBritish
light afternoon meals or social gatherings at which tea is served.
Grammar: Countable in this sense: a tea, two teas. Common in British English for an afternoon meal.
Patterns
- afternoon teas
- serve teas to guests
The hotel serves traditional afternoon teas in the garden.
They host charity teas every spring.
Common combinations
- herbal teas
- The shop sells herbal teas made from local flowers.
- two teas, please
- Two teas, please, one with milk and one without.
- a selection of teas
- Guests can choose from a selection of teas.
- iced teas
- In summer they sell fruit iced teas on the terrace.
Synonyms and how they differ
- infusions
- A more formal or technical word for drinks made by soaking herbs in hot water; it can sound medical or fancy.
- brews
- Informal and general: any drink made by brewing, including beer, so it is less precise than 'teas'.
Word family
Commonly confused: teas or tease?
teas vs tease
To tease means to make fun of someone playfully. 'Teas' is just the plural of 'tea' and sounds the same.
Practice
We'd like two ___, please — one with milk and one with lemon.
Choose one answer.
After a number we use the plural countable form 'teas' for two servings. 'Tea' alone would be uncountable and would not match 'two'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “teas”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.