# tee

/ˈti/ (US) · /tˈiː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tee
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. golf peg

noun · CEFR B1

a small wooden or plastic peg used to hold a golf ball off the ground for the first shot of a hole.

For teachers: a small peg, typically made of wood or plastic, from which a golf ball is struck at the beginning of a hole.

- He pushed the wooden tee into the grass and carefully balanced his ball on top.
- The professional golfer selected a longer tee to accommodate the specific launch angle required for his new driver.

### 2. golfing area

noun · CEFR B1

the flat area of grass where a golfer starts playing each hole.

For teachers: the designated area of a golf course from which players execute their initial stroke for a given hole.

- The players gathered at the first tee to begin their morning round.
- Heavy rain overnight had left the tenth tee somewhat muddy, forcing the tournament organisers to adjust the starting positions.

### 3. T-shaped object

noun · CEFR B2

an object or pipe shaped like the letter T.

For teachers: a fitting or structural element shaped like the letter T, often used in plumbing or engineering to join three pipes.

- The plumber used a copper tee to connect the three water pipes under the sink.
- The structural engineer specified a reinforced steel tee to manage the load distribution at the intersection of the three beams.

### 4. clothing

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a short way of saying T-shirt.

For teachers: an informal clipping of 'tee-shirt', referring to a collarless, short-sleeved cotton undershirt or outer garment.

- I just threw on a plain white tee and some jeans for the park.
- The boutique specialised in organic cotton tees featuring minimalist graphic designs by local artists.

### 5. to place a ball

verb · CEFR B2

to put a golf ball on a tee ready to hit it.

For teachers: to place a ball on a tee in preparation for a stroke; frequently used in the phrasal verb 'tee up'.

- It is your turn to tee your ball and take the first shot.
- After carefully checking the wind direction, she teed up her ball and took a few practice swings.

Usage: Often used with the particle 'up'.

### 7. computing command

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to split a stream of data so it goes to two places at once.

For teachers: to use a command-line utility to read from standard input and write to both standard output and one or more files simultaneously.

- You can tee the output to a log file while still seeing it on your screen.
- The administrator used the tee command to capture the installation script's progress in a text file for later auditing.

## Examples

- He pushed the tee into the grass and placed his ball on top.
- After losing his last wooden tee, he had to borrow a plastic one from his partner to start the final hole.
- The professional golfer carefully adjusted the height of the tee to account for the slight headwind before selecting his driver for the long par-five opening.

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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.