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)

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

Phrases

to a tee

: exactly, precisely

the description fit her to a tee

Examples of tee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Malone’s emphasis on packaging, design and narrative matches the premium travel-retail consumer mindset to a tee. —Lela London, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa plays his shot from the 15th tee during the third round of the Rocket Classic 2025 at Detroit Golf Club on June 28, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025

Verb

He's expected to tee it up next at the John Deere Classic, starting July 4th in Silvis, Illinois. —Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025

Other courses include The Palmer Course, The Fazio Course, The Estate (which is five miles from the resort), and the newest additions: The Match, a shorter, non-traditional design without set teeing areas geared toward match play, and The Staple, a 9-hole Par 3 course. —Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025

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)

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1673, 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
• 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