tandem

[ tan-duhm ]
See synonyms for tandem on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. one following or behind the other: to drive horses tandem.

adjective
  1. having animals, seats, parts, etc., arranged tandem or one behind another.

noun
  1. a vehicle, as a truck, tractor, or trailer, in which a pair or pairs of axles are arranged in tandem.

  1. a team of horses harnessed one behind the other.

  2. a two-wheeled carriage with a high driver's seat, drawn by two or more horses so harnessed.

  3. any of various mechanisms having a tandem arrangement.

Idioms about tandem

  1. in tandem,

    • in single file: They swam in tandem.

    • in association or partnership.

Origin of tandem

1
First recorded in 1735–45; special use (originally facetious) of Latin tandem “at length, finally,” equivalent to tam “so far” + -dem, demonstrative suffix

Words Nearby tandem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tandem in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tandem

tandem

/ (ˈtændəm) /


noun
  1. a bicycle with two sets of pedals and two saddles, arranged one behind the other for two riders

  2. a two-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses harnessed one behind the other

  1. a team of two horses so harnessed

  2. any arrangement of two things in which one is placed behind the other

  3. in tandem together or in conjunction

adjective
  1. British used as, used in, or routed through an intermediate automatic telephone exchange: a tandem exchange

adverb
  1. one behind the other: to ride tandem

Origin of tandem

1
C18: whimsical use of Latin tandem at length, to indicate a vehicle of elongated appearance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012