team

team — noun

1. several individuals cooperating in the same sport, profession, or other joint ac

1.nounA1
Definition

several individuals cooperating in the same sport, profession, or other joint activity; also, animals harnessed together for pulling.

Example

The volleyball team celebrated after winning the national championship.

collective noun; US English uses singular verb with a team

A team of doctors performed the surgery successfully this morning.

a team of + profession

Common collocations
  • team member
  • team leader
  • join a team
  • form a team
  • be on a team
  • team of experts
Synonyms
  • group

    more general; 'group' does not imply a shared goal or coordination the way 'team' does

  • squad

    usually smaller and more tightly organised, often in military or sports contexts

  • crew

    typically used for people working on a ship, aircraft, or film production

Grammar Patterns

team + singular/plural verb

a team of + plural noun

Usage Note

In British English, a team can take either a singular or a plural verb (The team is/are playing well). In American English, a singular verb is preferred.

Common Mistakes

I am in team of the project.
I am on the project team.
Use 'on a team' (not 'in a team') when referring to membership.

2. used in fixed expressions that describe people cooperating well, putting the gro

2.nounB1
Definition

used in fixed expressions that describe people cooperating well, putting the group's success ahead of personal gain, or showing commitment to a shared goal.

Example

The manager said she wants employees who are strong team players.

collocation: team player

Team spirit at the office improved after the weekly meetings started.

collocation: team spirit

Common collocations
  • team player
  • team spirit
  • team effort
  • team building
  • teamwork
Synonyms
  • cooperation

    focuses on the action of working together rather than the phrases that describe it

Grammar Patterns

team + noun in compounds

Common Mistakes

She has good team.
She is a good team player.
When describing someone's cooperative attitude, use the full phrase 'team player', not 'team' alone.

3. the set of advisors, supporters, or campaign workers gathered around a specific

3.nounB2
Definition

the set of advisors, supporters, or campaign workers gathered around a specific person or position.

Example

The senator asked her team of advisors to review the new policy carefully.

possessive + team + of + role

Adaeze joined the candidate's campaign team as the lead speechwriter.

Common collocations
  • campaign team
  • legal team
  • advisory team
  • be on someone's team
  • join someone's team
Synonyms
  • camp

    emphasises the shared viewpoint or side rather than organised cooperation; often used in political contexts

  • faction

    suggests a smaller, more dissenting subgroup within a larger organisation

Grammar Patterns

possessor's + team

on + possessor's + team

Usage Note

This sense is typically used with a possessive noun or pronoun (the governor's team, whose team are you on?). The 'team' here is the group of people who advise or campaign for the person, not the person themself.

Idioms

take one for the team

idiom

To accept a loss or do something unpleasant to help the group you belong to.

Mina took one for the team by working late to finish the project.

Did Brian take one for the team when he agreed to clean up after the party?

team — verb

team — adjective

Word family

  • teammate
    nounA2
  • teamwork
    nounB1
  • team up
    phrasal verbB1
  • team player
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Team, group, squad, and crew all refer to multiple people, but they differ in how organised the people are and what they do together. Team emphasises coordinated effort toward a shared goal — members have different roles but work together (a football team, a project team). Group is the most general word: people can be grouped by any shared feature, passive or active (a group of tourists, a study group). Squad is a smaller, tightly organised unit, often in military, police, or sports contexts (a bomb squad, a football squad). Crew is specific to people who operate a vehicle, ship, or aircraft, or who work on a film set (the flight crew, the camera crew). Choose team when you want to stress active cooperation toward a common objective; choose group for any loose collection; choose squad for a compact, specialist unit; choose crew for operational roles on a vehicle or production.

team ↗group ↗squad ↗crew ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • as a team
  • part of a team
  • on a team

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word team comes from Old English tēam, which meant 'family, lineage, or group of draft animals yoked together'. This goes back to Proto-Germanic *taumaz, meaning 'that which pulls or draws', from the verb *teuhan ('to pull'). In the 16th century, the meaning broadened from a group of animals pulling a plough to any group of people working together. The modern sporting sense appeared in the 19th century with the rise of organised competitive sports.