Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

tempo

play
noun tem·po \ ˈtem-(ˌ)pō \

Definition of tempo

plural tempi play \-(ˌ)pē\ or tempos
1 :the rate of speed of a musical piece or passage indicated by one of a series of directions (such as largo, presto, or allegro) and often by an exact metronome marking
2 :rate of motion or activity :pace

See tempo defined for English-language learners

See tempo defined for kids

Explore M-W

alt-59c448f88ea38
Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'
alt-59c94ad823f29
'Meat Sweats': The Competitive Eater's Worst Nightmare
image1644821030
These Are Fighting Words
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Examples of tempo in a Sentence

  1. The song has a slow tempo.

  2. The composition has many changes of tempo.

  3. We walked at a fast tempo.

  4. The tempo of the game slowed down.

  5. The dance starts out fast and then switches tempo.

Recent Examples of tempo from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tempo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tempo

Italian, literally, time, from Latin tempus

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

TEMPO Defined for English Language Learners

tempo

play
noun

Definition of tempo for English Language Learners

  • : the speed at which a musical piece is played or sung

  • : the speed at which something moves or happens

TEMPO Defined for Kids

tempo

play
noun tem·po \ ˈtem-pō \

Definition of tempo for Students

plural tempi \-ˌpē\ or tempos
:the rate of speed at which a musical composition is played or sung

Word Root of tempo

The Latin word tempus, meaning “time,”and its form temporis give us the roots temp and tempor. Words from the Latin tempus have something to do with time. Something temporary lasts only a short time. Someone or something contemporary lives or occurs at the same time as someone or something else. A tempo is the speed at which music is performed in time.

Learn More about tempo

  1. Spanish Central: Translation of tempo Nglish: Translation of tempo for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tempo for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tempo? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

anathematize

play

to curse or denounce

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. dotage, dotard a state or period of senile decay

  2. otherwise "in other respects"

  3. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  4. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  5. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

tempo

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c94ad823f29
'Meat Sweats': The Competitive Eater's Worst Nightmare

They're real, but is meat the cause?

alt-59c919f342079
'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Let us defuse the situation.

alt-59c52d6ee2f72
Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106
Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: tempo in a Sentence