Meaning & use
work in tandem
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
To operate together in close coordination, with each person or part supporting the other toward the same goal.
Grammar: No object; often followed by with: the two teams work in tandem with each other.
Patterns
- work in tandem with someone
- work in tandem to do something
The two nurses work in tandem to move patients safely.
Marketing and sales must work in tandem if the launch is to succeed.
The engine and the electric motor work in tandem to save fuel.
Word forms
| third person singular | works in tandem |
|---|---|
| past tense | worked in tandem |
| -ing form | working in tandem |
Common combinations
- work closely in tandem
- The two agencies work closely in tandem on border security.
- operate in tandem
- The pumps operate in tandem to keep the tunnel dry.
- in tandem with
- The school acted in tandem with local parents.
- act in tandem
- The two senators acted in tandem to block the bill.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cooperate
- Cooperate is broader and can mean simply not getting in the way, while work in tandem implies tight, step-by-step coordination.
- collaborate
- Collaborate stresses creating something jointly, often over time, where work in tandem stresses smooth coordination.
- team up
- Team up describes the moment of joining forces, not the ongoing way the partners operate.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: work in tandem or in tangent?
work in tandem vs in tangent
Learners sometimes mix up the sounds; the idiom is in tandem, not in tangent. A tangent is a line that only touches a curve.
Practice
The doctors and the therapists ______ to get the patient walking again.
Choose one answer.
Work in tandem is the fixed phrase for coordinated effort. The other options break the idiom by changing the preposition or turning tandem into a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “work in tandem”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.