team player
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of team player
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90
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.
“James is focused on moving forward, rejoining his teammates and the Atlanta Falcons organization as a whole, performing at the highest level, and continuing to be a team player on and off the field.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
"I don't really focus on that," said Smith-Njigba, a team player who also does a surprising amount of blocking for a star wide receiver.
From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026
How can you demonstrate that you’re a team player if your interviewer doesn’t specifically ask you about it?
From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 2026
Dyche was on the books of Forest as a youth team player in the late 1980s while Brian Clough was manager, but never made a first-team appearance.
From BBC • Oct. 20, 2025
When your boss says you should be more of a team player, that means she wants you to take on more of her work. thick as thieves.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
![]()
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.