tee

[ tee ]

noun

the letter T or t.
something shaped like a T, as a three-way joint used in fitting pipes together.

T-bar.
T-shirt.
the mark aimed at in various games, as curling.

adjective

having a crosspiece at the top; shaped like a T.

Idioms about tee

to a tee. T¹ (def. 6).

Origin of tee

First recorded in 1600–10

Words that may be confused with tee

tea, tee

Other definitions for tee (2 of 3)

tee²

[ tee ]

noun

Golf.
- Also called teeing ground . the starting place, usually a hard mound of earth, at the beginning of play for each hole.
- a small wooden, plastic, metal, or rubber peg from which the ball is driven, as in teeing off.
Football. a device on which the ball may be placed to raise it off the ground preparatory to kicking.

verb (used with object),teed, tee·ing.

Golf. to place (the ball) on a tee.

Verb Phrases

tee off,
- Golf. to strike the ball from a tee.
- Slang. to reprimand severely; scold: He teed off on his son for wrecking the car.
- Informal. to begin: They teed off the program with a medley of songs.
- Baseball, Softball. to make many runs and hits, especially extra-base hits: teeing off for six runs on eight hits, including three doubles and a home run.
- Baseball, Softball. to hit (a pitched ball) hard and far: He teed off on a fastball and drove it into the bleachers.
- Boxing. to strike with a powerful blow, especially to the head: He teed off on his opponent with an overhand right.
- Slang. to make angry, irritated, or disgusted: She was teed off because her dinner guests were late.

Origin of tee

First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain

Other definitions for TEE (3 of 3)

TEE

abbreviation

Trans-Europe Express.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tee in a sentence

Jim Carrey cracked an LSD joke while teeing up a montage of animated films.
Surprise! Ellen DeGeneres is the Best Oscars Host in a Decade | Marlow Stern | March 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And there were people teeing off, even as the temperatures still hovered at about 105 degrees.
Report From the Blackout | Larry Bohannan | September 9, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Small came over to us while the Colonel was teeing his ball.
Fore! | Charles Emmett Van Loan
While the Colonel was teeing up, Small kept moving around and talking in that megaphone voice of his.
Fore! | Charles Emmett Van Loan
In teeing-off, one should be quite sure that one's immediate predecessors from the tee are at least two shots in advance.
Book of Etiquette, Volume 2 | Lillian Eichler Watson

Dr. Ballard sprang out, for he had recognized the figure at the first teeing ground.
Jewel | Clara Louise Burnham
The odds are not very greatly in favour of the ball being rolled off the teeing ground.
The Complete Golfer [1905] | Harry Vardon

British Dictionary definitions for tee (1 of 3)

tee¹

/ (tiː) /

noun

a pipe fitting in the form of a letter T, used to join three pipes
a metal section with a cross section in the form of a letter T, such as a rolled-steel joist

any part or component shaped like a T

British Dictionary definitions for tee (2 of 3)

tee²

/ (tiː) golf /

noun

Also called: teeing ground an area, often slightly elevated, from which the first stroke of a hole is made
a support for a golf ball, usually a small wooden or plastic peg, used when teeing off or in long grass, etc

verbtees, teeing or teed

(when intr, often foll by up) to position (the ball) ready for striking, on or as if on a tee

Origin of tee

C17 teaz, of unknown origin

See also tee off

British Dictionary definitions for tee (3 of 3)

tee³

/ (tiː) /

noun

a mark used as a target in certain games such as curling and quoits

Origin of tee

C18: perhaps from T-shaped marks, which may have originally been used in curling

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

Browse