tempo

/ˈtempəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtempəʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtem-(ˌ)pō/ (ame, mw)

tempo — noun

  • temposingular
  • temposplural

1. The speed or level of activity at which events, processes, or daily life happen,

1.名詞B2
釋義

The speed or level of activity at which events, processes, or daily life happen, whether fast, slow, or steady.

例句

The fast tempo of life in São Paulo took Diego a while to get used to.

collocation: fast tempo / slow tempo

After her promotion, Mei increased the tempo of her team's weekly meetings.

同義詞
  • pace

    More common in everyday speech; tempo often feels slightly more formal or observational.

  • rate

    Focuses on measured speed; tempo carries a sense of rhythm or flow.

  • speed

    Purely about velocity; tempo adds a qualitative feel about timing and flow.

用法筆記

Commonly modified by adjectives such as fast, slow, steady, relaxed, or frantic to describe the pace of work, life, events, or social change.

常見錯誤

❌The tempo of the piece was fast' (meaning a song's speed — use sense 2 for musical contexts).
✅The tempo of city life speeds up during the festival season.
💡Sense 1 describes general pace; sense 2 is for music only.

2. How fast or slow musicians play a passage or a song, usually described by Italia

2.名詞B2
釋義

How fast or slow musicians play a passage or a song, usually described by Italian terms such as allegro or andante and set using a metronome's beats per minute.

例句

The conductor raised the tempo during the final chorus, and the choir responded with energy.

raise / lower the tempo in musical context

Yuki practiced the piece slowly at first, gradually increasing the tempo each day.

同義詞
  • speed

    A simpler, less specific word; tempo is the standard musical term.

  • beat

    Refers to the underlying pulse rather than the overall speed of a piece.

  • rhythm

    Describes the pattern of strong and weak beats, not just how fast a piece is played.

用法筆記

Often paired with Italian musical terms (largo, adagio, andante, allegro, presto) and measured with a metronome marking in beats per minute (BPM).

常見錯誤

❌She set a fast tempo for completing the report' (for work pace see sense 1).
✅She set a fast tempo for the violin sonata.
💡Use sense 2 only for music, dance, or rhythm-based performance.