warm-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈwȯrm-ˌəp 

variants or less commonly warmup

1

: the act or an instance of warming up

also : a preparatory activity or procedure

2

: a suit for exercise or casual wear consisting of a jacket or sweatshirt and pants

—often used in plural

called also warm-up suit

warm up

2 of 2

verb

warmed up; warming up; warms up

intransitive verb

: to engage in exercise or practice especially before entering a game or contest

broadly : to get ready

Synonyms

Noun

• curtain-raiser
• overture
• preamble
• preliminary
• prelude
• prologue
• prolog

Examples of warm-up in a Sentence

Noun

the couple's initial exchange of insults proved to be only a warm-up for their booze-fueled fight later that night

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

How the car warm-up routine began The winter warm-up routine started decades ago when vehicles were more prone to stalling in frigid temperatures, according to Carfax. —Jalen Williams, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2025

Bill Self, like most college basketball coaches, leaves it to his full-time assistants and other staff members to watch player warm-ups prior to games. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025

Verb

There’s also a 3,500-square-foot patio for locals to bring their dogs once the weather warms up. —Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2025

It's expected to slowly warm up, eventually reaching the 50s on Saturday and 60s on Sunday. —Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1846, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

warm-up

noun

ˈwȯr-ˌməp

1

: the act or an instance of warming up

2

: a practice or set of exercises done before a game, contest, or workout

Medical Definition

warm-up

1 of 2 noun

ˈwȯr-ˌməp 

: the act or an instance of warming up

also : a procedure (as a set of exercises) used in warming up

warm up

2 of 2 intransitive verb

(ˈ)wȯr-ˈməp 

: to engage in preliminary exercise (as to stretch the muscles)

important to warm up properly before running