Is teaming a word

When you see «teaming with», it is fairly often a misspelling of «teeming with», rather than a use of the verb «team (something) with (something)» that you mention in your question.

The sentence you quote contains an example of this misspelling. With correct spelling, the sentence would be «It was the school holidays, and the place was teeming with people, families, youth groups, holiday clubs.» «The place was teeming with people» means «The place was full of people». Collins has an explanation in its entry for the verb teem:

verb [usually cont]

If you say that a place is teeming with people or animals, you mean that it is crowded and the people and animals are moving around a lot.

For most of the year, the area is teeming with tourists. [VERB + with]

The words «team» and «teem» are homophonous, and apparently etymologically related, but my understanding is that the spelling «teaming» is not considered standard in this context.

See Merriam-Webster’s «Usage Notes: ‘Teeming’ vs. ‘Teaming'»:

Each of these words has a number of meanings, spread across multiple parts of speech. The meanings which are most often mixed are “to become filled to overflowing” (teem) and “join forces or efforts” (team), especially when found as teeming and teaming. When one of these words is employed incorrectly it most often seems to be teaming used where teeming is called for.

My thoughts then drift to warmer days of spring and summer with green grass between our toes, birds chirping and calling in the fields around us, lakes and streams teaming with fish and the sights and sounds of a good thunderstorm dropping much-needed rain.
— Dan Ackerman, Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, ND), 18 Jan. 2018

St. Vincent is a lush, volcanic island with magnificent rain forests and waterfalls, while the Grenadines are coral islands with pristine beaches and reefs teaming with life.
— The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Can.), 7 Sept. 1996

The Google Ngram Viewer shows that «teeming with» is far more frequent in writing than «teaming with» even in recent years:

Some examples where «teaming with» is the correct spelling

Here are some examples from Google Books of situations where the spelling «teaming with» would be correct:

• Teaming with Your Therapy Dog (book title)

• «Teaming with local teams is considerably easier than with remote teams.» (A Commonsense Approach to Dealing with People: Managing People Made Easier, by Terry Jenkins, p. 32)

• «A project would only support client innovation if it included teaming with clients.» (Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy, by Amy C. Edmondson)

• «Initially believed to be an office stooge by Hayes and Gordy, Roberts fit right in — he could drink and party as well as any kid he was teaming with and his nonchalant attitude towards everything became his trademark.» (The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams, by Greg Oliver, p. 49)

cobaltduck left a comment saying that «the more common way of expressing «teaming with» where the with-an-a spelling is correct, is «teaming UP with». This seems to be supported by another Google Ngram Viewer chart:

You can see that «teaming up with» seems to be more frequent than «teaming with», and because the line for «teaming with» presumably includes many misspellings that should be written as «teeming with», the real difference in frequency between (correctly spelled) «teaming with» and «teaming up with» is presumably even greater. We seem to see a difference in the same direction if we look at some examples with pronouns (although the absolute frequencies are rather low, so the charts look like they have a lot of noise):

Many people find that they have trouble distinguishing between words that differ by a single letter, even if the meanings of these word are quite distinct. A fine example of an often-difficult pair is team and teem. If you’re someone who has never had a moment of doubt or hesitation about these two words, well, bully for you. For the rest of us here is a short explanation for how to differentiate between them.

Teaming vs. Teeming

Each of these words has a number of meanings, spread across multiple parts of speech. The meanings which are most often mixed are “to become filled to overflowing” (teem) and “join forces or efforts” (team), especially when found as teeming and teaming. When one of these words is employed incorrectly it most often seems to be teaming used where teeming is called for.

My thoughts then drift to warmer days of spring and summer with green grass between our toes, birds chirping and calling in the fields around us, lakes and streams teaming with fish and the sights and sounds of a good thunderstorm dropping much-needed rain.
— Dan Ackerman, The Bismarck (North Dakota) Tribune, 18 Jan. 2018

St. Vincent is a lush, volcanic island with magnificent rain forests and waterfalls, while the Grenadines are coral islands with pristine beaches and reefs teaming with life.
— The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada), 7 Sept. 1996

In many cases, two such similar words may be distinguished by the prepositions which follow. However, both teeming and teaming are often followed by with; «teeming with» refers to a setting in which there is an abundance of something (life, people, fish, etc.), and «teaming with» refers to the action of joining together with others. Teeming is occasionally found used in an adjectival manner (“teeming masses”) in a way that teaming would not be (you are unlikely to have reason to write of the “teaming masses”).

If you are referring to a large quantity of something you want teeming.
If you are referring to joining an enterprise or team you want teaming.

As a way of cementing in your mind the difference between these words, we present you with an example of each one used in splenetic 17th-century prose. Because if you can figure out the snitty usage of the 1600s, today’s examples should give you no problem.

Teeming with (“in great abundance”):

… as will by their unanimous Acknowledgment of the unalterableness of the Succession (as has been lately done in Scotland) assert the Sacredness of the British Monarchy; by their Care to put a Stop to the Debauchery of the Press, whose prolifick Womb, daily teeming with new Monsters, fills every Corner of the Nation with Seditious Pamphlets, will take away those continual Incentives to Rebellion.
— Anon., Britanniae Speculum, 1683

Teaming with (“joining together”):

… he in those unhappy times, and all such adle brain Church Projectors were with Child, teaming with their own sacrilegious Bastard-brats or false conceptions how to Usurp the Lawes of God and Man, and to rob God most colourably.
— F. B., The Character of Sr. Arthur Haslerig the Church-Thief, 1661

Словосочетания

book teaming — теоретические знания; книжные знания  
teaming contractor — подрядчик по обустройству промыслов  

Фразовые глаголы

team up — объединяться, работать сообща, , играть в паре, участвовать в парной игре

Возможные однокоренные слова

team  — команда, бригада, экипаж, командный, объединяться в команду

Asked by: Misty Keebler

Score: 4.6/5
(70 votes)

noun. 1A man employed to drive a team of draught animals, especially a team of horses or oxen used to pull a plough, cart, etc., on a farm; compare «teamster»(now historical). 2A man who plays or works well as a member of a team; frequently with preceding qualifying adjective.

Is team mates one or two words?

Is there a word Teamsmanship?

Teamsmanship encompasses attributes necessary to achieve teamwork, which is when people work together instead of separately.

What does Teamplayer mean?

: someone who cares more about helping a group or team to succeed than about his or her individual success.

Is teammate common noun?

One who is on the same team.

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