teem
1 Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
-
to be prolific or abundant (in); abound (in)
-
obsolete to bring forth (young)
verb
-
(intr; often foll by down or with rain) to pour in torrents
it's teeming down
-
(tr) to pour or empty out
Other Word Forms
- teemer noun
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He previously lived for years in San Diego County, where he ran along waterways teeming with birds among reeds, willows and sycamores.
From Los Angeles Times
On New Year’s Eve, during my family’s stay, the hotel was teeming with visitors in black tie.
But it’s also an organic experience, teeming with originality, despite its familiar marketing as an “immersive experience.”
From Los Angeles Times
Concert halls are packed, the famed Tretyakov Gallery is teeming even on a midweek afternoon.
From Barron's
These derelict streets, wind-swept by the bracing North Sea air, were once the envy of the community, teeming with life.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
