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1 VERB To tease someone means to laugh at them or make jokes about them in order to embarrass, annoy, or upset them. □ [V n] He told her how the boys in East Poldown had set on him, teasing him. □ [V n + about ] He teased me mercilessly about going Hollywood. □ [V with quote] 'You must be expecting a young man,' she teased. ● N‑COUNT Tease is also a noun. □  Calling her by her real name had always been one of his teases. ●  teas|ing N‑UNCOUNT [oft the N ] □  She tolerated the teasing, until the fourth grade.

2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If you refer to someone as a tease , you mean that they like laughing at people or making jokes about them. □  My brother's such a tease.

3 VERB If you say that someone is teasing , you mean that they are pretending to offer you something that you want, especially sex, but then not giving it to you. □ [V ] I thought she was teasing, playing the innocent, but looking back, I'm not so sure. □ [V n] When did you last flirt with him or tease him?

4 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If you refer to someone as a tease , you mean that they pretend to offer someone what they want, especially sex, but then do not give it to them. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  Later she heard he had told one of her friends she was a tease.

5 → see also striptease , teasing

▸  tease out PHRASAL VERB If you tease out information or a solution, you succeed in obtaining it even though this is difficult. □ [V P n] They try to tease out the answers without appearing to ask. □ [V n P ] There had to be an answer–he was sure he could tease it out if only he had time. [Also V n P + of ]

teas|er /tiː zə ^r / (teasers )

1 N‑COUNT A teaser is a difficult question, especially one in a competition. [INFORMAL ]

2 N‑COUNT A teaser is someone who makes fun of people in a slightly cruel way.

tea ser|vice (tea services ) N‑COUNT A tea service is the same as a tea set .

tea set (tea sets ) N‑COUNT A tea set is a set of cups, saucers, and plates, with a milk jug, sugar bowl, and teapot.

tea shop (tea shops ) also teashop N‑COUNT A tea shop is a small restaurant where tea, coffee, cakes, sandwiches, and light meals are served. [BRIT ]

teas|ing /tiː z I ŋ/ ADJ A teasing expression or manner shows that the person is not completely serious about what they are saying or doing. □  'But we're having such fun, aren't we?' he protested with a teasing smile.

tea|spoon /tiː spuːn/ (teaspoons )

1 N‑COUNT A teaspoon is a small spoon that you use to put sugar into tea or coffee.

2 N‑COUNT You can refer to an amount of food resting on a teaspoon as a teaspoon of food. □ [+ of ] He wants three teaspoons of sugar in his coffee.

tea|spoon|ful /tiː spuːnfʊl/ (teaspoonfuls or teaspoonsful ) N‑COUNT You can refer to an amount of food resting on a teaspoon as a teaspoonful of food. □ [+ of ] …a heaped teaspoonful of salt.

teat /tiː t/ (teats )

1 N‑COUNT A teat is a pointed part on the body of a female animal which her babies suck in order to get milk.

2 N‑COUNT A teat is a piece of rubber or plastic that is shaped like a teat, especially one that is fitted to a bottle so that a baby can drink from it. [mainly BRIT ]

tea ta|ble also tea-table N‑SING You refer to a table as the tea table when it is being used for a meal eaten in the late afternoon or early evening. [mainly BRIT ] □  …cakes and sandwiches on the tea-table.

tea|time /tiː ta I m/ (teatimes ) N‑VAR Teatime is the period of the day when people have their tea. It can be eaten in the late afternoon or in the early part of the evening. [BRIT ]

tea tow|el (tea towels ) N‑COUNT A tea towel is a cloth used to dry dishes after they have been washed. [BRIT ] in AM, use dish towel

tech /te k/ (techs ) N‑COUNT [oft at N ] A tech is the same as a technical college . [BRIT , INFORMAL ]