sempre

American

[sem-prey, sem-pre] / ˈsɛm preɪ, ˈsɛm prɛ /

adverb

throughout.

sempre British

/ ˈsɛmprɪ /

adverb

music (preceding a tempo or dynamic marking) always; consistently. It is used to indicate that a specified volume, tempo, etc, is to be sustained throughout a piece or passage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sempre

1885–90; < Italian: always < Latin semper

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.

One person in the procession held up a sign with Silva's photograph, which read: "Para sempre um de nós."

From BBC • Jul. 5, 2025

Does Adès also nod to “E sempre lava!” from Puccini’s “Tosca”? Maybe Tchaikovsky and the Dies Irae, too?

From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2022

Não ceder a esse medo, e sim dar as mãos a quem pretende lutar contra ele, este é sempre o antídoto para essa toxina.

From The Guardian • Jan. 31, 2020

No, camp will sempre viva, as the immortal Isabella Rossellini once put it.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2013

‘Il prete’ they say, with a significant look, ‘è sempre prete.’

From Selections from Previous Works and Remarks on Romanes' Mental Evolution in Animals by Butler, Samuel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023