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teem1

Pronunciation: /tiːm/
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Definition of teem

verb

[no object] (teem with)
  • be full of or swarming with:every garden is teeming with wildlife (as adjective teeming)she walked briskly through the teeming streets

Origin:

Old English tēman, tīeman, of Germanic origin; related to team. The original senses included 'give birth to', also 'be or become pregnant', giving rise to 'be full of' in the late 16th century

Do not confuse team with teem. Team means 'a group of people working or playing together' or 'come together as a team to achieve something' (the two governors teamed up against their opponent), whereas teem means 'be full of something' (the seas teemed with fish).

teem in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of teem in the US English dictionary
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