A good team synonym depends on who the people are and how formal the setting is: group, crew, squad, unit and staff are the swaps you will reach for most. A crew fixes roofs, a squad plays football, and a unit sounds like the army or a hospital ward.
Below, each synonym for team is sorted by meaning, with the verb forms (team up, teamed with) and advice for resumes, where the word gets badly overused. If you write about working together a lot, the collaboration synonyms page is a good companion.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
group, crew, squad, unit, staffPart of speech
Noun, also a verb (team up)Most formal
task force, personnel, committeeMost casual
crew, gang, the guysSport words
side, squad, lineup, rosterAntonyms
individual, rival, opponentWatch out
Gang can sound criminal in formal writing. Keep it for friendly chat.
Each team synonym by setting
Your choice signals to readers which sort of group you have in mind. Match the setting first.
| Synonym | Best used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| group | Any setting, neutral | Our group finished the survey early. |
| crew | Hands-on work, ships, film sets, friends | The repair crew arrived at eight. |
| squad | Sport, police, informal friend groups | She made the junior squad this season. |
| unit | Army, hospitals, large firms | He works in the cardiac unit. |
| staff | Everyone employed in a place | The staff signed a card for her. |
| department | A formal section of a company | The sales department hit its target. |
| task force | A group set up for one problem | The city formed a task force on flooding. |
| side | Sport, mainly British use | The home side scored twice. |
From crew to task force
Picture five name badges in a row, from the loosest label for a working group to the stiffest. Crew is friendly and practical. Squad sounds energetic and a little sporty. Group is the neutral midpoint and suits almost any context. Unit brings structure and rank, and task force suggests an official body with a clear mission and an end date.
When in doubt, use group. It never sounds wrong, though it can sound flat if you repeat it, so mix it with a more precise word once you know the setting.
Crew for team, side for team: live examples
- The team met on Monday becomes the project group met on Monday.
- A team of engineers becomes a unit of engineers in a formal report.
- Our team won the cup becomes our side won the cup.
- The cleaning team becomes the cleaning crew.
- I joined a new team at work becomes I joined a new department.
- They make a great team becomes they make a great pair when there are only two.
A manager emails: "Thanks to the team for the team effort on the launch." Swap one: "Thanks to the whole crew for the joint effort on the launch." The repeat disappears and the tone stays warm.
Team as a verb: team up, teamed, teaming
Team is also a verb, almost always with up or with. For teamed up, try joined forces, partnered or collaborated. For teaming up, try working together or pairing up.
- Two schools teamed up to clean the river becomes two schools joined forces to clean the river.
- She teamed with a local baker becomes she partnered with a local baker.
See the collaborate synonyms page for more verbs about working jointly.
On a resume or cover letter
Recruiters read "team player" and "worked in a team" all day, so the phrase slides past them. Name the group and your part in it instead: led a unit of six analysts, worked in a cross-functional group of designers and coders, supported a regional sales staff of forty.
Before: "Worked as part of a team to improve customer service." After: "Partnered with four support agents to cut reply time by a third." The second line shows size, action and result.
For more ideas, see the job application vocabulary hub and the leadership synonyms page.
Gang, band, crowd: close but wrong
Gang works with friends but suggests crime in a news story. Band usually means musicians. Crowd is a large number of people who are not organized, so it is not a real swap. Committee implies meetings and decisions, not hands-on work. Faction means a group inside a larger body that disagrees with the rest, which is close to the opposite of teamwork.
Opposites of team
The opposite depends on the angle. A person working alone is an individual or a solo worker. The people you play against are opponents, rivals or competitors.
- She prefers solo work to group projects.
- Our rivals have won three years running.
A broader list of words for gatherings of people sits on the group synonyms page.
Frequently asked questions
At the office, what is another word for team?
Group, staff, department and unit are the safest choices. Crew suits practical jobs like building or events, and task force suits a group formed to solve one problem.
Which team synonym sounds most formal?
Personnel, task force, committee and unit sound formal. Use personnel for all the people employed, and committee only if the group meets to make decisions.
How do I replace team player on a resume?
Show it with an action: partnered with, collaborated with, supported, coordinated. Add how many people and what you achieved together.
Is squad a good synonym for team?
Yes in sport and casual speech. In an office email it can sound playful, which is fine with colleagues you know well but odd in a report.
Is there one word for a team of two people?
Pair, duo, partnership and tandem all work. Duo is friendly, partnership is formal, and in tandem means two people acting at the same time.
Which words are opposites of team?
An individual or a solo worker is the opposite in size. An opponent or rival is the opposite in loyalty.