tee

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtē 

1

: the letter t

2

: something shaped like a capital T

3

informal : t-shirt

wearing a cotton tee

4

: a mark aimed at in various games (such as curling)

see also:

to a tee

tee

2 of 3

noun (2)

1

a

: a small mound or a peg on which a golf ball is placed before being struck at the beginning of play on a hole

b

: a device for holding a football in position for kicking

c

: an adjustable post on which a ball is placed for batting (as in T-ball)

2

: the area from which a golf ball is struck at the beginning of play on a hole

tee

3 of 3

verb

teed; teeing

transitive verb

: to place (a ball) on a tee

—often used with up

Examples of tee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Lipsky had a 65, playing in the first group of the day off the first tee. —Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026

Young and Matt Fitzpatrick stood at the final tee box tied at 13 under par. —Justin Ray, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

Verb

The course plans to open for play in late spring 2027, 110 years after golfers first teed it up at one of Idaho’s oldest courses. —Mark Dee march 14, Idaho Statesman, 14 Mar. 2026

McIlroy was able to tee it up on Thursday, scuffling to a score of 74. —Justin Ray, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1646, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tee

• ringer tee
• tee-ball
• tee-hee
• tee off
• tee off on (someone or something)
• tee shirt
• tee shot
• tee time
• tee up
• to a tee
• wind tee

Rhymes for tee

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he

Kids Definition

tee

1 of 3 noun

ˈtē 

1

: the letter t

2

: something shaped like a capital T

3

informal : t-shirt

tee

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: a small peg on which a golf ball is set to be struck

b

: an adjustable post on which a ball is placed for batting (as in T-ball)

2

: the area from which a golf ball is struck in starting play on a hole

tee

3 of 3 verb

teed; teeing

: to place on a tee

teed up the ball