tandem
Americanadverb
adjective
noun
-
a vehicle, as a truck, tractor, or trailer, in which a pair or pairs of axles are arranged in tandem.
-
a team of horses harnessed one behind the other.
-
a two-wheeled carriage with a high driver's seat, drawn by two or more horses so harnessed.
-
any of various mechanisms having a tandem arrangement.
idioms
noun
-
a bicycle with two sets of pedals and two saddles, arranged one behind the other for two riders
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a two-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses harnessed one behind the other
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a team of two horses so harnessed
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any arrangement of two things in which one is placed behind the other
-
together or in conjunction
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing tandem
What If It's Us
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This Week In Culture: August 1–6, 2020
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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In this study, researchers used tandem mass spectrometry at UCL Chemistry to break peptides into smaller fragments, measure those fragments, and reconstruct each peptide's structure.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
For more than 30 years, he worked in tandem with his dad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
In tandem, Zuckerberg is trying to sell businesses on the idea of using Meta’s AI agent to do such things as answering customers’ questions, booking appointments and even closing sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Futures tracking the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index, which tends to trade in tandem with Bitcoin, were 1.4% lower on Wednesday, putting the gauge on track to extend a recent slump.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
We don’t bother much with the formalities anymore when we greet each other; we smile and move off, in tandem, traveling smoothly along our daily track.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
The teams around Denver all have superstar tandems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
But on Saturday, the Trojans improved front will be tested by one of the better running back tandems in college football.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 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
I have been implicated in many other strange drives, notably two with tandems and one with three horses abreast.
From Ladies in the Field: Sketches of Sport by Greville, Beatrice Violet Graham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
