Word Games Pro Dictionary

tempo

noun

A frequency or rate.

Quick reference

Word Facts

Word length
5
Starts with
T
Ends with
O
Contains
EMP
Scrabble score
9
Database source
OEWN 2025 Core

How it sounds

Pronunciation

/ˈtɛm.pəʊ/

Meaning

Definitions

noun

  1. A frequency or rate.

  2. A move which is part of one's own plan or strategy and forces, e.g. by means of a check or attacking a piece, the opponent to make a move which is not bad but of no use for him (the player gains a tempo, the opponent loses a tempo), or equivalently a player achieves the same result in fewer moves by one approach rather than another.

  3. The timing advantage of being on lead, thus being first to initiate a strategy to develop tricks for one's side.

  4. The timing of a particular event – earlier or later than in an alternative situation (as in chess example)

  5. The number of beats per minute in a piece of music; also, an indicative term denoting approximate rate of speed in written music (examples: allegro, andante)

  6. The steady pace set by the frontmost riders.

  7. A small truck or cargo van with three or four wheels, commonly used for commercial transport and deliveries (particularly in Asian and African countries): a genericized trademark, originally associated with the manufacturer Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH.

  8. A rapid rate of play by the offense resulting from reducing the amount of time which elapses after one play ends and the next starts.

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