tandem

[ tan-duh m ]

/ ˈtæn dəm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tandem ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

one following or behind the other: to drive horses tandem.

adjective

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

noun

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

tandem bicycle.

tandem trailer(def 1).

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.

Nearby words

tanaquil, tanbark, tanbark oak, tanbur, tancred, tandem, tandem bicycle, tandem roller, tandem trailer, tandem-compound, tandjungpriok

Idioms

in tandem,

in single file: They swam in tandem.
in association or partnership.

Origin of tandem

1735–45; special use (orig. facetious) of Latin tandem at length, finally, equivalent to tam so far + -dem demonstrative suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tandem

But in some circumstances, the two vital elements can work in tandem—as a project recently unveiled in Anguilla reveals.
Sun+Water= High Tech Caribbean Luxury At The Cusinart Resort|The Daily Beast|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a veritable Mapplethorpe renaissance, two exhibitions have launched in tandem dedicated to his work.
Mapplethorpe’s Artistic Twin|Sarah Moroz|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The proposed legislation arrives in tandem with another law that would effectively criminalize graffiti.
Egypt’s Military Commemorates ‘Martyrs’ It Gunned Down|Alastair Beach|November 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They rarely campaigned in tandem, and Biden was not on the nightly campaign conference calls.
“Double Down”: 13 Must Read Moments from the New Book|William O’Connor|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In tandem with the CIA, MI6 were in the midst of running their most successful espionage operation to date.
The Spy Who Saved The World—Then Tried To Destroy It|Jeremy Duns|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But tandem driving is too good a sport to be confined to the show ring.
Riding and Driving|Edward L. Anderson
The principal was, that the people one met on the roads always insulted riders on a tandem.
A Canterbury Pilgrimage|Joseph Pennell and Elizabeth Robins Pennell
Though not a tandem performance in the strict sense of the term, Mr. Thanes' feat on 12th July 1819 is worth mention.
Coaching Days & Ways|E. D. (Edward William Dirom) Cuming
Across the campus toward Vanderbilt, Allison and the last Bones man, in tandem, were streaking like water insects.
Stover at Yale|Owen Johnson
Even to this day this pedigree of the tandem marks out the proper proportions and proper qualities for both wheeler and leader.
Riding and Driving|Edward L. Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for tandem

tandem

/ (ˈtændəm) /

noun

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

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

a team of two horses so harnessed

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

in tandem together or in conjunction

adjective

British used as, used in, or routed through an intermediate automatic telephone exchangea tandem exchange

adverb

one behind the otherto ride tandem

Word Origin for tandem

C18: whimsical use of Latin tandem at length, to indicate a vehicle of elongated appearance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012