tempo

American  

[tem-poh] / ˈtɛm poʊ /

noun

plural

tempos, tempi

1. Music. relative rapidity or rate of movement, usually indicated by such terms as adagio, allegro, etc., or by reference to the metronome.

2. characteristic rate, rhythm, or pattern of work or activity.

   the tempo of city life.

3. 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.

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tempo British  

/ ˈtɛmpəʊ /

noun

1. 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

2. rate or pace

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tempo Cultural  

1. In music, the speed at which a piece is performed. It is the Italian word for “time.”

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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."

Example Sentences

She reported Golden Tempo, munching on some hay in his stall maybe 50 feet behind her, was doing well, two hours before he took a 70-mile van ride to DeVaux’s base at Keeneland.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026

DeVaux said Golden Tempo was dealing with cracked heels on his front feet but that she wasn’t worried about how he would run.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

The 44-year-old native of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., made history Saturday as the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby when Golden Tempo rallied from far back to defeat Renegade by a neck.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

As he rolled up in front of my Van Nuys duplex, his teal Ford Tempo shimmering in the speckled fall sun, a wave of first-date excitement flooded my system.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Tempo indications such as "Not too fast," "With energy," "Calmly," or "March tempo" give a good idea of how fast the music should feel.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• cadence
• momentum
• pace
• velocity