tea
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Secret information or rumors. Originates from Black drag culture of the 1990s, where the letter "t" was used to mean "truth". "Spilling the tea" means to share gossip or rumors. Another meaning was popularized on TikTok, using 'tea' when referring to a person, action, outfit, or thing to mean it's fab, cute, iconic, etc.
Register: informalEra: 2020s
Sources & notes
Adapted from Wikipedia “Glossary of 2020s slang” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30). US Gen Z / internet usage.
Common questions
What does “tea” mean?
Secret information or rumors. Originates from Black drag culture of the 1990s, where the letter "t" was used to mean "truth". "Spilling the tea" means to share gossip or rumors. Another meaning was popularized on TikTok, using 'tea' when referring to a person, action, outfit, or thing to mean it's fab, cute, iconic, etc.
Is “tea” formal or informal?
tea is generally informal.