tandem

1 of 3

noun

tan·​dem ˈtan-dəm 

1

a

: tandem bicycle

b(1)

: a 2-seated carriage drawn by horses harnessed one before the other

(2)

: a team so harnessed

c

: a vehicle (such as a motortruck) having close-coupled pairs of axles

2

: a group of two or more arranged one behind the other or used or acting in conjunction

tandem

2 of 3

adverb

: one after or behind another

ride tandem

tandem

3 of 3

adjective

1

: consisting of things or having parts arranged one behind the other

2

: working or occurring in conjunction with each other

Phrases

in tandem

1

: in partnership or conjunction

2

: in a tandem arrangement

Examples of tandem in a Sentence

Noun

The team has a tandem of talented guards.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

As an all-around baseball player, Soto couldn’t ride tandem on Fernando’s motorcycle. —Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2023

Adjective

An attached single-vehicle carport and a tandem one-car garage sit out front; and inside, a little more than 1,700 square feet of living space includes two bedrooms and and a trio of bathrooms. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 20 July 2024

After Alleman’s daughter was born, her husband surprised her with a tandem bike of her own. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2024

This is the most common style of spinnerbait, and a lot can be done with a tandem Colorado/willow leaf spinner in the 3/8- to 1/2-ounce range. —Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 23 May 2024

Apple just launched a new iPad Pro with a tandem OLED panel, which uses two OLED layers to improve brightness and the lifespan of the panel. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 15 May 2024

Wearing layers The idea behind two-layer—called tandem—photovoltaic devices is very simple. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 7 July 2023

Chiu and her husband, Jeff Roth, who are in their late 40s and live in Newton, are among many Greater Boston couples who trace the origins of their hobby back to Ed Sassler, head of tandem sales at Wheelworks in Belmont. —BostonGlobe.com, 10 Nov. 2022

Students study welding and take tandem English language classes during two back-to-back terms over the course of six months. —oregonlive, 27 Oct. 2022

Firefighters found the woman trapped under the front axle of the tandem-style bus, the fire department said in a news release. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 6 July 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin, at last, at length (taken to mean "lengthwise"), from tam so; akin to Old English thæt that

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1b(1)

Adverb

circa 1795, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tandem

• tandem bicycle
• tandem repeat

Kids Definition

tandem

1 of 2 noun

tan·​dem ˈtan-dəm 

1

a

: a two-seated carriage drawn by horses hitched one behind the other

b

: tandem bicycle

2

: a group of two or more arranged one behind the other

tandem

2 of 2 adverb or adjective

: one behind another

Etymology

Noun

from Latin tandem "at length, at last"

Word Origin

Tandem is used to describe many things that involve the connecting of one object to another similar object behind it. A tandem tractor-trailer truck has one trailer hitched behind another, which is attached to the truck body, or tractor. A bicycle built for two is called a tandem bicycle because it has one seat and set of pedals behind another. The first use of the word tandem in English was for a carriage pulled by one horse hitched behind, rather than beside, another. Whoever first used the term in English apparently was making a play on words. The Latin word tandem meant "at length" referring to time, but in English tandem came to mean "at length" or "lengthwise," referring to position.