tee

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtē 

1

: the letter t

2

: something shaped like a capital T

3

informal : t-shirt

wearing a cotton tee

4

: a mark aimed at in various games (such as curling)

tee

2 of 3

noun (2)

1

a

: a small mound or a peg on which a golf ball is placed before being struck at the beginning of play on a hole

b

: a device for holding a football in position for kicking

c

: an adjustable post on which a ball is placed for batting (as in T-ball)

2

: the area from which a golf ball is struck at the beginning of play on a hole

tee

3 of 3

verb

teed; teeing

transitive verb

: to place (a ball) on a tee

—often used with up

Phrases

to a tee

: exactly, precisely

the description fit her to a tee

Examples of tee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This soft, fuzzy find is a great layering piece that would work well under a denim jacket or on top of a simple tee. —Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2025

Wyndham Clark of The Bay Golf Club plays his shot from the fourth tee during their TGL presented by SoFi match against the New York Golf Club at SoFi Center on January 07, 2025 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. —Alex Sherman, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2025

Verb

The field of 144 golfers teeing it up this week will find the course relatively untouched from the 2024 version. 2025 Sony Open in Hawaii odds All odds from BetMGM. —Dennis Esser, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025

Such an operation typically targets a large employer and surprises workers during the workday by rushing ICE agents in and making arrests of people suspected to be living in the United States and working without authorization, teeing them up for possible deportation. —Julia Ainsley, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1673, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tee

• ringer tee
• tee ball
• tee-hee
• tee off
• tee off on (someone or something)
• tee shirt
• tee shot
• tee time
• tee up
• wind tee

Kids Definition

tee

1 of 3 noun

ˈtē 

1

: the letter t

2

: something shaped like a capital T

3

informal : t-shirt

tee

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: a small peg on which a golf ball is set to be struck

b

: an adjustable post on which a ball is placed for batting (as in T-ball)

2

: the area from which a golf ball is struck in starting play on a hole

tee

3 of 3 verb

teed; teeing

: to place on a tee

teed up the ball