team up

join with someone to work together on something

B2

What does "team up" mean?

To team up means to join forces with one or more people in order to work toward a shared goal. It captures the idea of a purposeful partnership — not just spending time together, but actively collaborating to achieve something. The verb is commonly used in business, sport, journalism, and everyday conversation: two companies might team up to launch a product, or two friends might team up to organise an event. What makes it distinctive is that sense of a joint effort directed at a purpose — 'team up' implies more than just being together; it implies working together on something. It's a neutral expression, equally at home in a news headline and in casual speech.

Examples

How to use it

team up with + person/organisation

Use 'with' to name the other party in the collaboration — this is the most essential pattern.

The fashion brand teamed up with a well-known artist to design its new collection.

team up with + person + to + infinitive

Add 'to + infinitive' after the 'with' phrase to explain the purpose of the collaboration.

She teamed up with a colleague to develop a new training programme.

team up on + project/task

Use 'on' followed by a noun phrase when referring to the shared project or task rather than a goal expressed as an action.

The two universities teamed up on a study into renewable energy sources.

team up against + opponent/problem

Use 'against' when the partnership is united in opposition to a common rival, obstacle, or challenge.

The smaller retailers teamed up against the new supermarket chain moving into the area.

team up (no complement)

When the collaborating party or purpose is already clear from context, 'with' and 'to' phrases can both be dropped.

Neither studio had enough funding on its own, so they decided to team up.

Common Collocations

team up with a companyteam up with a charityteam up with a colleagueteam up to raise moneyteam up on a projectteam up against a common rival

Common Mistakes

Using 'team up' with a direct object

'Team up' is intransitive — it never takes a direct object. You cannot use it to describe bringing other people together; only to describe joining together yourself.

✗ The manager teamed up the two departments.
✓ The two departments teamed up. / The manager brought the two departments together.
Confusing 'team up' with 'gang up'

'Gang up' means to unite against someone and almost always carries a negative tone. 'Team up' is neutral or positive and focuses on cooperative effort toward a shared goal, not on targeting someone.

✗ The colleagues ganged up to finish the project before the deadline.
✓ The colleagues teamed up to finish the project before the deadline.
Using the present continuous for an established partnership

When describing a partnership that has already been formed and is ongoing, 'have teamed up' sounds more natural than 'are teaming up', which can imply the joining together is still in progress.

✗ The two companies are teaming up for over a year now.
✓ The two companies have teamed up for over a year now.

Usage

Team up is neutral and works in both spoken and written English, from casual conversation to business news. Use 'with' to say who you collaborate with and 'to + verb' or 'on + noun' to say what you're working on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'team up' be used in the passive, like 'they were teamed up'?

No — 'team up' is intransitive, which means it has no direct object, so there is nothing to make the subject of a passive sentence. If you want to describe someone arranging a partnership between others, you'd need a different verb, such as 'bring together' or 'pair with'.

Does 'team up' always need a 'with' phrase, or can I leave it out?

You can leave it out when the other party is already clear from context — for example, 'Why don't we team up?' works perfectly if it's obvious who 'we' refers to. However, if you're introducing the idea of collaboration for the first time, naming the partner with 'with' is usually clearer.

Can 'team up' be used for groups and organisations, or just individuals?

It works naturally for both. You'll often see it used for companies, charities, schools, sports teams, and governments, as well as for individual people. The key is that whoever is teaming up is doing so with a shared purpose in mind.

What's the difference between 'team up' and 'pair up'?

'Pair up' specifically suggests two people and is often used for short, structured activities — like being paired with someone in a classroom exercise. 'Team up' can involve larger groups and suggests a more purposeful, goal-oriented collaboration, sometimes over a longer period.

Is 'team up' only used in business contexts?

Not at all — it's common across many contexts, including sport, journalism, education, charity work, and everyday conversation. It's a neutral expression that fits wherever people or groups are joining forces to work toward a shared goal.

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