up-tempo

American

[uhp-tem-poh] / ˈʌpˌtɛm poʊ /

noun

plural

up-tempos, up-tempi

a bouncy, fast tempo in music.

adjective

characterized by a fast and bouncy tempo.

Etymology

Origin of up-tempo

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The question heading into the Division II final was whether King/Drew could slow Sylmar’s up-tempo offense — which had scored over 90 points 11 times and over 100 four times this season.

From Los Angeles Times

He rediscovered his rhythm when compiling an up-tempo 103 break and crafted a wonderful 111 - his eighth century of the tournament - to round off the afternoon's play.

From BBC

Tape of Chambliss had left their jaws hanging, and they could only imagine what he might accomplish in Kiffin’s up-tempo attack.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Their offense is hard to stop. We thought we’d be able to score with them and we couldn’t. We wanted to go up-tempo and we weren’t able to do that.”

From Los Angeles Times

Los Alamitos’ no-huddle, up-tempo offense started to cause problems for San Clemente’s defense.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023