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Glite Dictionary
to teem in

to teem in

5.9
To be full of many people or things in a place
  • phrasal verb
  • /tim ɪn/
translation icon : abundar
  • The rainforest teems with diverse wildlife, making it a rich habitat for many species.

Examples

  • Native trout teemed in Lanes Brook.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The pond was teeming with frogs, their croaks filling the air.

  • During the summer months, the beach teems with tourists from all over the world.

Synonyms

to teem
vsto teem in
37 6.0

To be full of people, animals, or things

focuses on mere presence rather than active swarming
to abound in
vsto teem in
8 3.9

To be full of something in a place

emphasizes many being present rather than general plentifulness
to pullulate with
vsto teem in
  • Archaic
9.6

Be full of many people or things

is about many being present rather than a filled container

Antonyms

to disperse
104 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

to dwindle
72 5.1

To become smaller or less in number over time

How Abundant

to overflow
43 2.9
to swarm
89 3.2
to teem in
5.9
to abound in
8 3.9

Surface Forms

teem in infinitive
teemed in past
teemed in past participle
teeming in present participle
teems in third person singular

Morphology

teem + in

The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'teem' means to be filled or overflowing with things, and the preposition 'in' marks location, so together they indicate being present in a place in large numbers. Although native usage normally favors the collocate 'teem with' rather than 'teem in', the combination is compositionally predictable for a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The verb teem together with in comes from the image of many small things pouring or swarming into a place, like rain or insects filling a space. With in, the phrase teem in shows a place being filled from the inside, so it means 'to be full of something in very large numbers'.