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'Team' is a group of people working together; 'teem' means to swarm with or be full to overflowing.
Side-by-side comparison
"Team" is a group of people working together towards a common goal. "Teamwork" = collaborative effort. "Team player" = someone who works well with others.
Our team of engineers delivered the project two days early.
She teamed up with a graphic designer to create the presentation.
A strong team can achieve more than any single individual.
"Teem" means to swarm with or be full of something moving. "The city teems with tourists" = there are tourists everywhere. "Teeming rain" = very heavy rain.
The forest teemed with wildlife, birds, insects, and mammals everywhere.
The city streets were teeming with tourists during the festival.
It was teeming with rain when we left the office.
Common mistake
- •"The market was teaming with vendors" when meaning swarming or full is wrong (correct: teeming).
- •"Team" is the group; "teem" means to swarm or overflow.
- •The error is common because "team up" is familiar, but "teem" is less known.
Trick to remember it
- •"Teem" has double E like "overflow" and "swarm", words that convey excessive abundance.
- •"Team" has EA, people working together, taking Action toward a shared goal.
Quick rule
Is it the group working together? "Team." Is it swarming, overflowing, or raining heavily? "Teem."
Did you know?
TEEM comes from Old English "teman" (to give birth, to bring forth offspring), the original image is of something so fertile it continuously produces new life and overflows. "Teeming with fish" evokes a pond so fertile the fish reproduce endlessly. TEAM comes from Old Norse "taumr" (a bridle, a set of harnessed animals), the original team was a set of oxen pulling together, not a group of people. Bezos called it the "two-pizza rule": if you need more than two pizzas to feed the team, it is too big.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The market was _____ ing with people. You could barely move.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She joined a new _____ at work. They work on the mobile app together.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy