team
Americannoun
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a number of persons forming one of the sides in a game or contest.
a football team.
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a number of persons associated in some joint action.
a team of advisers.
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two or more horses, oxen, or other animals harnessed together to draw a vehicle, plow, or the like.
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one or more draft animals together with the harness and vehicle drawn.
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a family of young animals, especially ducks or pigs.
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Obsolete. offspring or progeny; lineage or stock.
verb (used with object)
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to join together in a team.
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Chiefly Northern U.S. Older Use. to convey or transport by means of a team; haul.
verb (used without object)
adjective
noun
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a group of people organized to work together
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a group of players forming one of the sides in a sporting contest
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two or more animals working together to pull a vehicle or agricultural implement
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such animals and the vehicle
the coachman riding his team
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dialect a flock, herd, or brood
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obsolete ancestry
verb
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to make or cause to make a team
he teamed George with Robert
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(tr) to drag or transport in or by a team
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(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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have teamedperfect
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has teamedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been teamingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been teamingperfect progressive
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is teamingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am teamingprogressive 1st person singular
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are teamingprogressive
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teamingparticiple
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teamssingular 3rd person
Past
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had teamedperfect
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had been teamingperfect progressive
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were teamingprogressive plural
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was teamingprogressive singular
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teamedsimple
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teamedparticiple
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing team
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.
Andrew Mathes, officer-in-charge of the Central Gang Impact Team that works in the Skid Row area.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
Dr Douglas Jones is co-founder of the Food Allergy Support Team, a nonprofit collaborative of hundreds of allergists across the UK, Europe and further afield.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Team USA faces off with Paraguay in Los Angeles for the first game in the tournament held on US soil in 32 years.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
Team members, meanwhile, need to be aware of their colleagues’ preferred work hours and when they are available to respond to emails and questions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Mrs. Wendleken said they better not be providing T-shirts for the Herdmans, who had muscled their way onto the Fire Safety Team.
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
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.
