# take one for the team

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/take-one-for-the-team
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To accept some chore, hardship, or punishment for the sake of one's friends or colleagues.

## Examples

- I will take one for the team and clean the kitchen.
- Since nobody else wanted to work the weekend shift, he decided to take one for the team.
- By volunteering to handle the most difficult client, she chose to take one for the team so her colleagues could focus on the project deadline.

## Origin

By analogy with a player making a sacrifice for the benefit of the sports team.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.