- teem
- teem, *abound, swarm, overflow can all mean to be plentifully supplied (with) or to be rich (in). Though they are often interchangeable, each of these words may carry distinctive implications. Teem implies productiveness or fecundity{
the rivers teem with fish
}{his mind teems with plans
}It often suggests little more than crowding and activity{Tozeur, which has a railway station and positively teems with French officials— Huxley
}Abound implies plenitude in numbers or amount; usually it stresses profusion{distant forests aglow with tropical colors and abounding with strange forms of life— Jefferies
}It is as often used with reference to qualities as to things{the young soldiers abound in vigor and courage
}Swarm in its relevant extended sense implies even more strongly than teem motion and thronging{a marketplace swarming with buyers and sellers— Macaulay
}It is also more capable of suggesting infestation{the house swarmed with flies
}Overflow in its extended sense adds to abound the implication of exceeding capacity{he overflows with good nature
}Sometimes it suggests glutting{the market overflows with goods
}
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
