tempo
Americannoun
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tempos,
plural
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tempi
plural
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Music. relative rapidity or rate of movement, usually indicated by such terms as adagio, allegro, etc., or by reference to the metronome.
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characteristic rate, rhythm, or pattern of work or activity.
the tempo of city life.
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Chess. the gaining or losing of time and effectiveness relative to one's continued mobility or developing position, especially with respect to the number of moves required to gain an objective.
Black gained a tempo.
noun
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the speed at which a piece or passage of music is meant to be played, usually indicated by a musical direction ( tempo marking ) or metronome marking
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rate or pace
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tempo
1680–90; < Italian < Latin tempus time
Explanation
If no one is dancing at your party, you probably want to put on some music with a faster tempo — meaning a faster speed. The word tempo came into English by way of Italian, tracing all the way back to the Latin word tempus, meaning time. It was originally used to describe the timing of music, or the speed at which a piece of music is played. For example, a soothing song would be described as a slow tempo song. Tempo is still used in this way to describe music, but you’ll also hear it used to refer to pace or speed in general, as in — "the increased tempo at the end of a close basketball game" or "the slow tempo of action in a novel."
Vocabulary lists containing tempo
It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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Music - Introductory
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Music - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The large Chinese navy is expanding its missions in unprecedented ways and training at a fast tempo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
The entire offense moves to a different tempo when he’s healthy and can run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Treasurys set the tempo for borrowing costs across the economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The two combine naturally, managing tempo and sharing the responsibility for circulating the ball.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
He raises one arm up high as the music’s tempo increases to a fever pitch, until I can hardly bear it.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Conductor Corrado Rovaris tended to push the tempi, however, which heightened the excitement but left little space for expressivity and nuance in the rage arias and other moments of high drama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Froschauer praises Thielemann for interacting with musicians, deferring in performance to the tempi of former concertmaster Rainer Küchl.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2023
I’d map out the terrain of the evening and the tempi of movements as though plotting a hike into someone else’s imagination.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2022
Caruana chooses a modest line against the super-solid Berlin Ruy Lopez, and claims an edge when Black gives up a good defender and several tempi trying to eliminate White’s bishop pair: 9.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 2, 2021
The following are some terms and their beats per minute to help you gauge different tempi.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The most infectious song on the album is Ms Paper, which takes a detour into Bouyon – a Dominican music characterised by high tempos and frantic percussion.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The song fuses Tamil folk music, Carnatic traditions, Western classical fugue and polka, with shifting tempos and finger snaps linking its contrasting sections.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
His nimble shifts between tempos and instrumentation reach an early peak on the 8 1/2-minute “Heart of Darkness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Investors must contemplate the potential of violent price fluctuations if the shipping industry fails to quickly return to normal tempos.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
It is appropriate to introduce a few concepts when performing songs and games with children, and also to experiment with these concepts, such as changing tempos and dynamics.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
