A team

See also: A-team

English

Alternative forms

• A-team

Etymology

From the letter "A" (indicating the highest rank or quality) + "team".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ ˌtiːm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːm
• Hyphenation: A‧team

Noun

A team (plural A teams)

1. (sports) The best of a set of teams in a single club.

   The A team are playing away this Saturday.

2. (informal) A group or team which performs its work most effectively; a very good team.

   It looks like the A team are on duty tonight - I've never seen the hall cleared so quickly!

3. (cricket, rugby) A country's reserve team or development squad, comprising the best players not selected in the national team.
   • He was then selected for the South African A team before making his international debut.

   NSW all-rounder Moises Henriques has been named captain of the Australia A team to play England in Hobart next week.

Usage notes

• In sports, teams are often labeled A team, B team, C team, etc. or 1st, 2nd, 3rd. For the informal usage, B team instead most often refers to a team or group who do subpar work, often in direct contrast to a supposed better A team.

Synonyms

• Top team, first team, varsity team

Antonyms

• B team, second team, junior varsity team

Hypernyms

• Team

Hyponyms

• A-teamer

Derived terms

• A teamer

Related terms

• A-list, B-list