teem

¹

[ teem ]

verb (used without object)

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

   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. intrusually foll bywith 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

Derived Forms

• ˈteemer, noun

Other Words From

• teemer 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

As Facebook teems with posts — and ads — about politics in the home stretch of this presidential election season, advertisers have begun to ask their media agencies whether they should be taking a break from the platform.

From Digiday

So, to make my daily three-mile walk more interesting, I started to reimagine the world around me as a reef teeming with alien life.

From Outside Online

Soils teeming with wriggling worms just a few weeks ago now hold far fewer.

From Science News

The original zone at the posterior pole, which Blochmann had seen, teems with bacteria.

From Quanta Magazine

In lyrical, engaging writing, Stewart Johnson, a planetary scientist, chronicles how our perception of Mars has swung from a world teeming with life, to definitely dead and boring, and back again over and over since the invention of telescopes.

From Science News

Prep school faculties teem with Wasps who majored in English or history, as brokerage houses do with Wasps who majored in finance.

From The Daily Beast

If the past eight months were full of international thrills, the next ones are more likely to teem with spills.

From The Daily Beast

Observe how the papers teem with the misery of the lower classes in England, yet this affects not the West India philanthropist.

From Project Gutenberg

Tears availing nothing, Elizabeth's quick brain began to teem with plans for John's escape.

From Project Gutenberg

The newspapers in most cases teem with scandals which absorb the thoughts or arouse the passions.

From Project Gutenberg

Shining by reflected light, its pages literally teem with interesting anecdotes of many sorts.

From Project Gutenberg

The volumes of the Health of Towns Report teem with instances of the mischief of insufficient ventilation.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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