The tempo of an event is the speed at which it happens.
...owing to the slow tempo of change in an overwhelmingly rural country. [+ of]
Both teams played with a lot of quality, pace and tempo.
Synonyms: speed, pace, velocity More Synonyms of tempo
2. variable noun
The tempo of a piece of music is the speed at which it is played.
In a new recording, the Boston Philharmonic tried the original tempo.
Elgar supplied his works with precise indications of tempo.
Synonyms: pace, time, rate, beat More Synonyms of tempo
tempo in British English
(ˈtɛmpəʊ)
nounWord forms: plural-pos or -pi (-piː)
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
Word origin
C18: from Italian, from Latin tempus time
tempo in American English
(ˈtɛmpoʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralˈtempos or ˈtempi (ˈtɛmpi)
1.
the speed at which a musical composition is, or is supposed to be, performed: it is indicated by such notations as allegro, andante, etc. or by reference to metronome timing
2.
rate of activity; pace
the tempo of modern living
Idioms:
in tempo
out of tempo
Word origin
It < L tempus, time: see temper
Examples of 'tempo' in a sentence
tempo
He knows how to slow down the tempo and when to speed it up.
The Sun (2016)
It set the tempo for a game of much magic and rough violence.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Teams need to be patient and probe and change tempo when they get to the penalty area and play quick passes.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's not always the best for the fans to watch when the tempo is so slow.
The Sun (2016)
They set a tremendous tempo.
The Sun (2017)
We set the tempo and controlled the game.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They lifted their game and raised the tempo.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
These are best played at their original dancefloor tempo.
The Sun (2012)
My teams play with high tempo and pace and it takes time to get that.
The Sun (2008)
You can learn to slow down the tempo of life.
French, Barbara Coping with Bulimia (1987)
The tempo is a lot different and they definitely have more skill.
The Sun (2010)
The quality and the tempo of training is there.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Your album changes tempo and style from track to track.
The Sun (2007)
That set the tempo for a dozen years.
A Conceptual View of Human Resource Management: Strategic Objectives, Environments,Functions
There are fab moments but little variation in mood or slow tempo.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
First half we lacked a lot of tempo.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Both the tempo and overall quality was high.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There were some astonishing scenes and changes of tempo.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He also sets the tempo well from that position.
The Sun (2016)
The relationship had begun six months earlier at a slow tempo.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The tempo changed with a vengeance either side of tea.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We put speed and tempo into our play but we knew they would come back at us and they did.
The Sun (2016)
The tempo was a lot better.
The Sun (2014)
All submit to the conductor's tempo and musical accent.
Christianity Today (2000)
SPURS are all about a high tempo and pace.
The Sun (2011)
The finesse of his shaping of its bittersweet nostalgia collided with constant extreme changes of tempo and direction, making its emotional fragility palpable.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
By the time we were heading back I had him assessing what my tempo training pace should be.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He said: 'They were all over us but then we raised the tempo.
The Sun (2009)
Their enforcement of correct dance steps, which required strict tempo music, also deterred bands from jazz improvisation.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
The music is faded down and he continues unaccompanied till it's faded up again, trying to keep exactly to the tempo of the original.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
tempo
British English: tempo NOUN
The tempo of an event is the speed at which it happens.
...owing to the slow tempo of change in an overwhelmingly rural country.
American English: tempo
Brazilian Portuguese: tempo
Chinese: > 速度事件发展的
European Spanish: tiempo
French: rythme
German: Tempo
Italian: ritmo
Japanese: 速さ
Korean: 속도
European Portuguese: tempo
Latin American Spanish: tiempo
All related terms of 'tempo'
a tempo
to the original tempo
in tempo
conforming to the speed at which a piece of music is, or should be, played
up-tempo
An up-tempo piece of music has a fast beat.
tempo primo
to the original tempo
out of tempo
not in tempo
primi
the upper or right-hand part in a piano duet
1 (noun)
Definition
rate or pace
Both teams played with quality, pace and tempo.
Synonyms
speed
He drove off at high speed.
pace
driving at a steady pace
velocity
the velocity at which the planets orbit
2 (noun)
Definition
the speed at which a piece of music is played or meant to be played
Elgar supplied his work with precise indications of tempo.
Synonyms
pace
time
A reel is in four-four time.
rate
The rate at which hair grows can be agonisingly slow.
beat
the dance beats of the last two decades
measure (prosody)
speed
metre
rhythm
His music fused the rhythms of jazz and classical music.
cadence
There was a sudden shift in the cadence of the music.
pulse
the repetitive pulse of the music
Additional synonyms
in the sense of beat
Definition
the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music
the dance beats of the last two decades
Synonyms
rhythm,
time,
measure,
movement,
pattern,
swing,
metre,
accent,
pulse,
tempo,
cadence,
lilt
in the sense of cadence
There was a sudden shift in the cadence of the music.
Synonyms
rhythm,
beat,
measure,
metre,
pulse,
throb,
tempo,
swing,
lilt
in the sense of measure
Definition
a metrical foot
Synonyms
rhythm,
beat,
foot,
metre,
verse,
cadence
Nearby words of
tempo
tempest
tempestuous
temple
tempo
temporal
temporarily
temporary
Synonyms of 'tempo'
tempo
Explore 'tempo' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of pulse
Definition
a regular beat or vibration
the repetitive pulse of the music
Synonyms
beat,
rhythm,
vibration,
beating,
stroke,
throb,
throbbing,
oscillation,
pulsation
in the sense of rate
Definition
the speed of progress or change
The rate at which hair grows can be agonisingly slow.
Synonyms
speed,
pace,
tempo,
velocity,
time,
measure,
gait,
frequency
in the sense of rhythm
Definition
the arrangement of the durations of and stress on the notes of a piece of music, usually laid out in regular groups (bars) of beats
His music fused the rhythms of jazz and classical music.
Synonyms
beat,
swing,
accent,
pulse,
tempo,
cadence,
lilt
in the sense of time
Definition
a specific system having a specific number of beats in each grouping or bar
A reel is in four-four time.
Synonyms
tempo,
beat,
rhythm,
measure,
metre
in the sense of velocity
Definition
the speed at which something is moving in a particular direction