teem

[ teem ]

/ tim /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: teem / teemed / teeming / teemer on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

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

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

verb (used with object)

Obsolete. to produce (offspring).

OTHER WORDS FOR teem

1 overflow, brim, overrun, bristle.

See synonyms for teem on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of teem

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

OTHER WORDS FROM teem

teemer, noun

Other definitions for teem (2 of 2)

teem²

[ teem ]

/ tim /

verb (used with or without object)

to empty or pour out; discharge.

Origin of teem

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

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

How to use teem in a sentence

Scientists learned that the planet was once a warm planet teeming with lakes and rivers, and that it’s home to complex organic matter.
This is the first image taken by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Now the hunt for life begins.|Neel Patel|February 18, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Though it was a busy summer weekend in July and visitors abounded, the place was still teeming with animals.
Seeing Big Vistas at Theodore Roosevelt National Park|Emily Pennington|January 21, 2021|Outside Online
While the house may or may not be teeming with ghosts, it is teeming with secrets — secrets that Kylie is only just now starting to learn.
One Good Thing: Housebound is the perfect horror comedy for the perpetually quarantined|Aja Romano|December 31, 2020|Vox
All of this bolsters 17th Street now vibrant and teeming with life on any day of the week.
The boldness of Randy Downs|Brock Thompson|October 15, 2020|Washington Blade

Despite the early hour, the road teems with trucks and cars.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is irreligious in the conventional sense, but his world teems with beliefs.
Nigeria’s Larger-Than-Life Nobel Laureate Chronicles a Fascinating Life|Chimamanda Adichie|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Arizona desert teems with hundreds of towns abandoned when their natural resources ran out.
The Ghost Towns of Arizona Live On|Justin Jones|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But then a rump faction—AAPS teems with rump factions—mounted a very convincing case for Vice President Joe Biden.
Electing a Punch Line|Christopher Buckley|October 20, 2008|DAILY BEAST
A day might well be given to the vicinity of Winchester, which teems with points of literary and historic interest.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
Aside from its world-famous minster, York teems with objects and places of curious and archaeological interest.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
Every page teems with interest, not only to the historical student, but to the general reader.
British Quarterly Review, American Edition, Volume LIV|Various
One of those paradoxes, those mysteries which Nature teems with, that are altogether beyond human comprehension.
Islam Her Moral And Spiritual Value|Arthur Glyn Leonard
The literature of today, light and popular, stately and philosophical alike, teems with immorality and infidelity.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham

British Dictionary definitions for teem (1 of 2)

teem¹

/ (tiːm) /

verb

(intr usually foll by with) to be prolific or abundant (in); abound (in)

obsolete to bring forth (young)

Word Origin for teem

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

British Dictionary definitions for teem (2 of 2)

teem²

/ (tiːm) /

verb

(intr; often foll by down or with rain) to pour in torrentsit's teeming down

(tr) to pour or empty out

Derived forms of teem

teemer, noun

Word Origin for teem

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

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

teem

OTHER WORDS FOR teem

Origin of teem

OTHER WORDS FROM teem

Other definitions for teem (2 of 2)

Origin of teem

Words related to teem

How to use teem in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for teem (1 of 2)

Word Origin for teem

British Dictionary definitions for teem (2 of 2)

Derived forms of teem

Word Origin for teem