Dictionary

take one for the team en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• (Northern-California) audio

Etymology

By analogy with a player making a sacrifice for the benefit of the sports team.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, informal) To accept some chore, hardship, or punishment for the sake of one's friends or colleagues.
   • [Casey Newton:] Yes, Arijeta, you really did take one for the team on this one, I have to say. 2026 March 6, Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, “OpenAI’s Fog of War + Betting on Iran + Hard Fork Review of Slop”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Forms

Relateds

you got this · bell the cat · there's no I in team · take the fall · fall on a grenade · step into the breach

Translations (13)

es ponerse la diez (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · ru броса́ться на амбразу́ру (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · pl poświęcić się dla drużyny (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · es vos mismo sos (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · pl poświęcać się dla drużyny (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · fr se dévouer (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · es hacerse una (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · ru вы́звать ого́нь на себя́ (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · ru отдува́ться (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · ru бро́ситься на амбразу́ру (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · fi uhrautua (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · da tage en for holdet (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues) · fr se sacrifier (doing an unwelcome task instead of one's friends or colleagues)