team

American  

[teem] / tim /

noun

1. a number of persons forming one of the sides in a game or contest.

   a football team.

2. a number of persons associated in some joint action.

   a team of advisers.

3. two or more horses, oxen, or other animals harnessed together to draw a vehicle, plow, or the like.

4. one or more draft animals together with the harness and vehicle drawn.

5. a family of young animals, especially ducks or pigs.

6. Obsolete. offspring or progeny; lineage or stock.

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verb (used with object)

teams, present (3rd person singular) teamed, past participle, past teaming present participle

1. to join together in a team.

2. Chiefly Northern U.S. Older Use. to convey or transport by means of a team; haul.

verb (used without object)

teams, present (3rd person singular) teamed, past participle, past teaming present participle

1. to drive a team.

2. to gather or join in a team, a band, or a cooperative effort (usually followed by up, together, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   merge, ally, unite, combine

adjective

1. of, relating to, or performed by a team.

   a team sport; team effort.

team British  

/ tiːm /

noun

1. a group of people organized to work together

2. a group of players forming one of the sides in a sporting contest

3. two or more animals working together to pull a vehicle or agricultural implement

4. such animals and the vehicle

   the coachman riding his team

5. dialect a flock, herd, or brood

6. obsolete ancestry

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verb

1. to make or cause to make a team

   he teamed George with Robert

2. (tr) to drag or transport in or by a team

3. (intr) to drive a team

Grammar

See collective noun.

Usage

What does team mean? A team is a group of people who work together in a joint action, as in Our Academic Decathlon team was made up of some of the smartest kids in our school. A team is also a group of people on one side of a contest or game, such as a soccer team or a trivia team. A team is also two or more draft animals, such as horses, harnessed together to pull something, like a plow or a cart. To team up is to form a group to work together, as in Miles and Lex teamed up to study for the big science test next month. Example: My team is working hard on these software solutions for streaming platforms.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underteamed
  adjective
• unteamed
  adjective
• interteam
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has teamed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have teamed
  perfect
• are teaming
  progressive
• am teaming
  progressive 1st person singular
• is teaming
  progressive 3rd person singular
• teaming
  participle
• has been teaming
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been teaming
  perfect progressive
• teams
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had teamed
  perfect
• were teaming
  progressive plural
• was teaming
  progressive singular
• teamed
  simple
• teamed
  participle
• had been teaming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will team
  simple
• will have teamed
  perfect
• will be teaming
  progressive
• will have been teaming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of team

First recorded before 900; Middle English teme (noun), Old English tēam “child-bearing, brood, offspring, set of draft beasts”; cognate with Dutch toom “bridle, reins,” German Zaum, Old Norse taumr

Explanation

If you're part of a frisbee team, you're part of a group of people who cooperate to throw a plastic disc around. It's neat. Two or more of people working together on a single task can be called a team, whether that's an informal team or a professional one. The two horses that pull your carriage are a team, and the guys you play soccer with on Saturday mornings are also a team. Team can also be a verb, meaning "to join forces." If you want to beautify your town, team up with local people to paint a mural for the community.

Example Sentences

Team Penning Association and went on the road promoting competitions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Team Melli will be based in Tijuana for the duration of the tournament, but all three of their group stage matches are due to be held in the United States.

From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026

Florida-based Pink or Blue Gender Team Inc., a marketer of the device, agreed to pay $50,000.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

Team members carried packs weighing up to 55 pounds, including lidar equipment, while hiking to remote cave entrances that could take as long as two days to reach.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

Too bad Team Apptitude wasn’t there to help me come up with a plan.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Related Words

• club
• company
• lineup
• organization
• party
• side
• squad
• unit