teem

¹

[teem]

verb (used without object)

1. to abound or swarm; be prolific or fertile (usually followed bywith ).

   Synonyms: bristle, overrun, brim, overflow

2. Obsolete.,  to be or become pregnant; bring forth young.

verb (used with object)

1. Obsolete.,  to produce (offspring).

teem

²

[teem]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to empty or pour out; discharge.

teem

¹

/ tiːm /

verb

1. to be prolific or abundant (in); abound (in)

2. obsolete,  to bring forth (young)

teem

²

/ tiːm /

verb

1. (intr; often foll by down or with rain) to pour in torrents

   it's teeming down

2. (tr) to pour or empty out

Other Word Forms

• teemer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of teem¹

before 900; Middle English temen, Old English tēman, tīeman to produce (offspring), derivative of tēam team

Origin of teem²

1250–1300; Middle English temen < Old Norse tæma to empty, derivative of tōmr empty, cognate with Old English tōm free from

Word History and Origins

Origin of teem¹

Old English tēman to produce offspring; related to West Saxon tīeman; see _team

Origin of teem²

C15 temen to empty, from Old Norse tœma; related to Old English tōm, Old High German zuomīg empty

Example Sentences

He spent the rest of his life traveling for similar projects and produced a teeming library of naturalist studies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The housing blogs of southern California teemed with stories of financial abuses made possible by these so-called thirty-year payment option ARMs, or adjustable-rate mortgages.

Read more on Literature

It was jarring to see the roads empty here, as the area is usually teeming with people late into the night.

Read more on BBC

The dusty grass verges surrounding the prison are teeming with noisy prairie dogs scurrying into their burrows whenever disturbed by prison vehicles coming and going.

Read more on BBC

A year after the BBC last visited the border to understand the impact of the migrant crisis on the border, sites that were once teeming with migrants lay largely silent.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• brim 
• bustle 
• crawl 
• overflow 
• overrun 
• swarm 
• swell