tee

Everyday

1. A tee is a small peg, often wooden or plastic, that holds a golf ball up before it is hit. tree →
2. The tee is also the flat area where each hole in golf begins. tree →
3. (informal) A tee is short for a T-shirt. tree →
4. To tee up is to put the ball on a tee, or to get something ready; to tee off is to make the first hit in golf. tree →
5. A tee is also the letter T or a T-shaped thing. tree →

In the lessons

In PE, golf and mini-golf lessons use tees; in tee-ball (T-ball) young children hit a baseball from a stand called a tee. In everyday speech, «tee» means T-shirt. «Teed off» (US slang) means annoyed. «To a T» (sometimes «to a tee») means exactly or perfectly. Phrases: «tee off», «tee up», «tee-ball», «fits to a T».

Examples

• Put the golf ball on the tee. tree →
• We met at the first tee. tree →
• Dad teed off and the ball flew into the bushes. tree →
• He wore a white tee and shorts. tree →
• In tee-ball, you hit the ball off a stand. tree →
• The coach teed up the next game. tree →
• That costume suits you to a tee. tree →

Note

Countable. Sounds the same as «tea» (the drink) and «T» (the letter). «Teed off» is slang for «annoyed», not polite in formal writing.