team

1 of 3

noun

1
: a number of persons associated together in work or activity: such as
a
: a group on one side (as in football or a debate)
b
: crew, gang
2
a
: two or more draft animals harnessed to the same vehicle or implement
also : these with their harness and attached vehicle
b
: a draft animal often with harness and vehicle
3
: a group of animals: such as
a
: a brood especially of young pigs or ducks
b
: a matched group of animals for exhibition
4
obsolete : lineage, race

team

2 of 3

adjective

: of or performed by a team
a team effort
also : marked by devotion to teamwork rather than individual achievement
a team player

team

3 of 3

verb

teamed; teaming; teams

transitive verb

1
: to yoke or join in a team
also : to put together in a coordinated ensemble
2
: to convey or haul with a team

intransitive verb

1
: to form a team or association : join forces or efforts
often used with up
2
: to drive a team or motortruck

Did you know?

What is the difference between the verbs teem and team?

If you want to describe an overflowing abundance of something, the word you are looking for is teem. We often see reference to "the teeming masses," "streets teeming with activity," or "forests teeming with life." You want the word team if you are trying to describe pairing two or more things in a coordinated ensemble ("she teamed the oxen together"), or forming some kind of partnership or association ("we are teaming with another organization this year").

Examples of team in a Sentence

Noun a doubles team in tennis He is the best player on his team. They are the worst team in baseball. To get the job done more quickly, we split up into teams. We worked as a team to put out the fire. The company hired a team of lawyers to advise them. a search and rescue team A dog team pulled the sled. Verb a show that teams two of television's funniest comedians
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Learn more › Securing tools to help teams bring more development work in-house can be a cost-saving and efficiency-boosting strategy for businesses trying to make the most of a budget. Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 Her responsibilities with The Trust involve overseeing a team of human services professionals, directing The Trust’s funding initiatives and ensuring that services meet the needs of the children and families of Miami-Dade County. Juliette Fabien, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Ponder’s ball movement created scoring opportunities and the Lions, as a team, shot 62% from the field and 53% from 3-point range. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 He has been largely shut out of any negotiations with the teams since the veto override. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The company also allocated $10 million to company leaders around the world to come up with creative ways to bring their teams and others together in the office. Trey Williams, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 The top six teams in each conference will secure automatic playoff berths while the next four teams will have to fight their way in through the play-in tournament. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 The launchers have an effective range of up to 75 feet and were originally used only by the SWAT team, with department-wide deployment beginning in 2016. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The league consists of five teams of four players each. Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Crowder ended up there in a multi-team trade after being part of the blockbuster Durant deal. Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 25 Feb. 2023 This week, Southwest unveiled a three-part plan to boost operations, which includes changes in winter operations, operational investments and cross-team collaborations. Alexandra Skores, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023 Schools are allowed to play in the same multi-team event, as the NCAA calls nonconference tournaments in November and December, only once every four years. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2023 Goodman also reported Sunday that the Miami RedHawks are scheduled to play in the Indiana Hoosiers' multi-team event. Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 6 June 2022 There are strict guidelines for inter-team competition. Eric Sondheimer Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2021 Multi-team initiatives are also an opportunity to demonstrate that not all innovations need to be pan-enterprise and that even the smallest contribution can have the most immediate impact or snowball into an even bigger one. Quartz Creative For Baker Tilly, Quartz, 29 Nov. 2022 Indiana traded Oladipo to the Houston Rockets in a multi-team deal that brought Caris LeVert to the Pacers. Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Nov. 2022 This will be the fourth multi-team event (MTE) that Alabama has participated in since Oats became coach, and the Tide’s previous three trips all began with a loss. Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, 23 Nov. 2022
Verb
Hir first look was a navy menswear moment featuring a navy dress shirt, tie and slacks teamed with a speckled gray bomber jacket and brown boots. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Notably, the two shows are being made outside of Wolf Entertainment’s long-time home at NBCUniversal; Wolf is teaming with Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz’s Alfred Street Industries. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2024 Ford won two state title with the Panthers boys team as an assistant coach before moving over to the girls team last April after LaJeanna Howard was suspended due to UIL violations. Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024 Lead hairstylist Gary Gill used Dyson’s Supersonic r hair dryer to create styles that enhanced individual models’ hair type: modern, loose waves teamed with typically French-girl long fringes, or face-framing longer pieces, all with a classic center part that looked soft and beautifully casual. Lauren Murdoch-Smith, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024 Red teaming tools such as Pre-Mortem Analysis are particularly effective here. Bryce Hoffman, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Kelce teamed his more clean-cut look with a vibrant blue outfit. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 The development firm retained one block and has teamed with Fairmont Hotels to build a flagship resort. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 Streamer Lionsgate Play has teamed with Grameenphone, a leading telecom services provider in Bangladesh, to expand its presence in the country. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'team.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English teme, from Old English tēam offspring, lineage, group of draft animals; akin to Old High German zoum rein, Old English tēon to draw, pull — more at tow entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of team was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near team

Cite this Entry

“Team.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/team. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

team

1 of 2 noun
1
: two or more animals used to pull the same vehicle or piece of machinery
also : these animals with their harness and attached vehicle
2
: a number of persons associated together in work or activity

team

2 of 2 verb
1
: to join in a team
2
: to haul with or drive a team
3
: to form a team

More from Merriam-Webster on team

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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