there's no I in team

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Teamwork should focus on the needs of the team, not on the individual.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Làm việc nhóm nên tập trung vào nhu cầu của nhóm, không phải cá nhân

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in "team", but there is an "I" in "pie". And there's an "I" in "meat pie". Anagram of "meat" is "team"… I don't know what he's talking about.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “there's no I in team” mean?

Teamwork should focus on the needs of the team, not on the individual.

Is “there's no I in team” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.