TANDEM Definition & Meaning

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tandem

[ tan-duhm ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adverb

one following or behind the other:
to drive horses tandem.

adjective

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

noun

a vehicle, as a truck, tractor, or trailer, in which a pair or pairs of axles are arranged in tandem.
tandem bicycle.
tandem trailer ( def 1 ).
a team of horses harnessed one behind the other.
a two-wheeled carriage with a high driver's seat, drawn by two or more horses so harnessed.
any of various mechanisms having a tandem arrangement.

tandem

/ ˈ��æ�Ի�ə�� /

noun

a bicycle with two sets of pedals and two saddles, arranged one behind the other for two riders
a two-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses harnessed one behind the other
a team of two horses so harnessed
any arrangement of two things in which one is placed behind the other
in tandem
together or in conjunction

adjective

used as, used in, or routed through an intermediate automatic telephone exchange
a tandem exchange

adverb

one behind the other
to ride tandem

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of tandem¹

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

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of tandem¹

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

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

in tandem,
1. in single file:
  They swam in tandem.
2. in association or partnership.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Neither tandem dropped a set in its first five matches.

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The WHCA, in tandem with White House, produced the president’s schedule the first week of the new Trump presidency.

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After the show’s initial run during the 70th, it will play in tandem with “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.”

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When looking for a new house in L.A., she notes, “The carport had tandem parking spaces. That’s good, I thought. My hospice nurse can park on the left.”

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Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday that Congress would “weigh in on it, but with the president, with the administration in tandem.”

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

T&E tandem bicycle

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