tandem

American  

[tan-duhm] / ˈtæn dəm /

adverb

1. one following or behind the other.

   to drive horses tandem.

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adjective

1. having animals, seats, parts, etc., arranged tandem or one behind another.

noun

• tandems
  plural

1. a vehicle, as a truck, tractor, or trailer, in which a pair or pairs of axles are arranged in tandem.

2. tandem bicycle.

3. tandem trailer.

4. a team of horses harnessed one behind the other.

5. a two-wheeled carriage with a high driver's seat, drawn by two or more horses so harnessed.

6. any of various mechanisms having a tandem arrangement.

idioms

1. in tandem,

   1. in single file.

      They swam in tandem.

   2. in association or partnership.

tandem British  

/ ˈtændəm /

noun

1. a bicycle with two sets of pedals and two saddles, arranged one behind the other for two riders

2. a two-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses harnessed one behind the other

3. a team of two horses so harnessed

4. any arrangement of two things in which one is placed behind the other

5. together or in conjunction

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adjective

1. used as, used in, or routed through an intermediate automatic telephone exchange

   a tandem exchange

adverb

1. one behind the other

   to ride tandem

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tandems
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tandem

First recorded in 1735–45; special use (originally facetious) of Latin tandem “at length, finally,” equivalent to tam “so far” + -dem, demonstrative suffix

Explanation

Tandem describes an arrangement where people or animals are in formation, one behind the other. Couples attached at the hip sometimes like to ride tandem bicycles, which allow two people to pedal the same bike. How cute. In 1785, tandem first came into existence as a noun meaning “carriage pulled by horses harnessed one behind the other.” About a hundred years later, people started to use tandem to refer to bicycles with two seats. This type of bicycle has two sets of pedals and two seats, but only one set of wheels. To transform tandem into an adverb, just stick in in front of it. "In tandem" can just mean "together" — like two departments working in tandem on a project.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tandem tandems

The parties “worked in tandem and were never actually adverse,” she wrote, calling the lawsuit a pretext for a settlement “that had no viable basis in law or fact.”

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

So, the Dodgers acquired an entirely new catching tandem before the trade deadline Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Donald joining that mix would give the Rams perhaps the greatest pass-rushing tandem the game has ever seen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

New meals launched in tandem with the World Cup also hadn’t met expectations.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

The dogs were working evenly, the gangline up through the middle of them thrumming with the rhythm it has when they are working in perfect tandem.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

The teams around Denver all have superstar tandems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have led the way as one of the most potent two-way tandems in the early part of the NBA season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2025

As well as standard racing bikes with modifications where required and tandems, the Para-cycling road programme also features handcycling and trike races.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2024

The authors of the study remark that the current official record in efficiency for organic tandem devices is 14,2% and that the last reported PCE for 4-terminal organic tandems is 6.5% .

From Science Daily ● Apr. 8, 2024

"Don't imagine I make a practice of tooling tandems down to my club," said Sullivan.

From The Ghost A Modern Fantasy by Arnold Bennett

Related Words

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