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 classic piano-bass-drum trio has become a defining sound of 21st-century jazz, well-suited to a focus on shifting rhythms and nimble changes in mood, intensity and tempo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
"When you see the versatility of what he did today and the tempo he has played, he's a mighty special player."
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told Agence France-Presse that rescue efforts were continuing "with the same tempo we had on day one".
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
You’ll have to ask the drummers — they set the tempo, and they get excited and it kind of ramps up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Still, decisions about crescendos and decrescendos, tempo, and score reading have to be made, but there are endless possibilities for vocalizing and playing these child-centered compositions.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Mr. Garcia-Alarcón, conducting his period-instrument orchestra Cappella Mediterranea, tended to push the tempi.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
His 2018 recording clocked at 58:39, part of a three-CD package that contains two discs of the conductor discussing tempi decisions.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 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
In the intervening years, it went through "hundreds" of re-writes, changing lyrics and tempos, before finally "coming to life" at Batmanglij's home studio.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2025
“The boys,” as Disney himself would come to call them, were so nervous and excited that they decided to write three songs, with varying tempos, in the hopes that at least one melody would please.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
In addition, many investors calibrate their outlooks during earnings season to reflect companies’ guidance, which affects short-term market tempos.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
That same year, Life magazine quoted an unnamed member of a symphony orchestra griping that Sinatra actually had the temerity to tell them what tempos he wanted his arrangements played in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
The heart responds by beating more quickly when listening to faster tempos, and slower when listening to slower tempos.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions 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.
