Definition of TEEMING

What is the difference between the verbs teem and team?

Verb (1)

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 teem in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Captain Robert Pearson, who had previously been a glider pilot, managed to maneuver the plane to a defunct Canadian Air Force base at Gimli, Manitoba, which at the time was teeming with go-carts and festive crowds due to a family event. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "8 Emergency Landings That Rival the 'Miracle on the Hudson'," 15 Jan. 2019 The story of an African mercenary hired to track down a missing boy across an ancient landscape, the novel teems with nightmares: devils, witches, giants, shapeshifters, haunted woods, magic portals. — Bridget Read, Vogue, "Most Anticipated Books of 2019: 19 Picks You Should Have on Your Reading List," 1 Jan. 2019 Bennett’s streets teem with unaffiliated scrivers, thieves, and swords-for-hire, and the novel’s final act — a heist and confrontation — sees Sancia breaking into the fantasy equivalent of a smart fortress. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Foundryside is a cyberpunk adventure wrapped in an epic fantasy novel," 23 Dec. 2018 Your every act of goodwill, then, is potentially teeming with wrath. — Julie Muncy, WIRED, "The Messiness of Vampyr Doesn't Weaken Its Bite," 7 June 2018 TPC River Highlands will be teeming with major champions this summer. — Staff Report, courant.com, "World No. 7 Jason Day Joins Loaded Travelers Championship Field," 15 May 2018 Violet continues to wrestle with boy drama at school, Dash is still a bundle of unrestrained, teeming energy, and Jack-Jack begins to manifest his own powers, which include bursting into flames and transporting to other dimensions. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Incredibles 2 Is an Exhilarating Ride," 13 June 2018 Police and fire officials reported nothing but minor incidents during the parade and following rally on the Mall, a scene of teeming (teaming?) red. — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, "Washington celebrates the Capitals first Stanley Cup with a victory parade and rally," 12 June 2018 When Hudson Yards formally opens on March 15, the development will reshape the landscape in Manhattan’s far west side, essentially introducing a new neighborhood teeming with office workers, residents and retail establishments. — Charles Passy, WSJ, "Hudson Yards Developers See An Appetite For Their New Culinary Corridor," 25 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Given the length of the journey, the flight was teeming with passengers and crew, so Captain Min-Yuan Ho needed to act fast. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "8 Emergency Landings That Rival the 'Miracle on the Hudson'," 15 Jan. 2019 Bennett’s streets teem with unaffiliated scrivers, thieves, and swords-for-hire, and the novel’s final act — a heist and confrontation — sees Sancia breaking into the fantasy equivalent of a smart fortress. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Foundryside is a cyberpunk adventure wrapped in an epic fantasy novel," 23 Dec. 2018 When Hudson Yards formally opens on March 15, the development will reshape the landscape in Manhattan’s far west side, essentially introducing a new neighborhood teeming with office workers, residents and retail establishments. — Charles Passy, WSJ, "Hudson Yards Developers See An Appetite For Their New Culinary Corridor," 25 Feb. 2019 The works are technically impressive: Their surfaces teem with dazzling, camouflage-like patterns of color. — Will Heinrich, New York Times, "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week," 13 June 2018 As climate change reduces Earth's biodiversity, a vast ecosystem of microbes is thriving beneath the planet's surface, teeming with hundreds of millions of microscopic lifeforms. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Vast Ecosystem of Underground Organisms Holds More Life Than Earth's Oceans," 11 Dec. 2018 Capital Improvements: Addis Ababa Takes New Shape Ethiopia’s teeming capital is a monument to the African nation’s paradoxical development A horse in front of public housing projects on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. — Matina Stevis-gridneff, WSJ, "Ethiopia’s Young, New Leader Shakes Up One-Party System," 17 July 2018 In the sprawling shop, a coffee table served as a makeshift DJ booth for Abloh to spin tracks, a backroom was filled with hookahs (because why not), and the retail floor hosted tables teeming with candles and red roses. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Bella Hadid, Karlie Kloss, and Joan Smalls Suited Up in Louis Vuitton Menswear for the Virgil Abloh and Chrome Hearts Dinner," 10 Jan. 2019 In the capital, Kinshasa, an opposition stronghold, the atmosphere was mostly jubilant, as streets teemed with people playing music and listening to results. — Gabriele Steinhauser, WSJ, "Catholic Church Questions Surprise Congo Election Results," 10 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'teem.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.