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

Nonchalant layers—a cropped top, a slender tank, and roomy pajama pants—get piled on in the freewheeling manner of warm-up gear. —Arthur Elgort, Vogue, 21 June 2024

That will shift this season as the pieces have grown up too, said Hsieh, with more tailoring and sleeker shapes, and clever updates of warm-up coordinates. —Rhonda Richford, WWD, 19 June 2024

Verb

As the weather warms up and Ohioans hit the water, state officials are reminding people not to operate a boat while drunk or high. —Haley Bemiller, The Enquirer, 20 June 2024

While Fox’s college football window officially opens on Sept. 13, its cable sibling FS1 will help warm up the crowd with primetime games on Aug. 30 (West Virginia-Wisconsin) and Sept. 6 (Duke-Northwestern). —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 June 2024

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