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
warmed up; warming up; warms up
: to engage in exercise or practice especially before entering a game or contest
broadly
: to get ready
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
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Monday: Run/Walk Intervals 5-minute warm-up Walk 90 seconds, run 3.5 minutes (repeat 4 times)
5-to-10-minute cooldown
Total time: 30–35 minutes
(back to top)
Tuesday: Active Recovery (Optional) or Rest
Today’s a rest day with an option for an active recovery routine.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 25 Apr. 2025
Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 13 May 2025
After arriving in Leh, cyclists warm up with a three-day acclimatization loop that hugs the banks of the Indus River and takes in ancient monasteries.
—Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for warm-up
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Noun
Consider this weekend our first warm-up for the W, the initial stretch to get our eyes and minds back into game-watching shape.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Monday: Run/Walk Intervals 5-minute warm-up Walk 90 seconds, run 3.5 minutes (repeat 4 times)
5-to-10-minute cooldown
Total time: 30–35 minutes
(back to top)
Tuesday: Active Recovery (Optional) or Rest
Today’s a rest day with an option for an active recovery routine.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
Even as the weather warms up, an outdoor living space is hardly complete without heaters or fire pits to keep you cozy during the chillier early spring months.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 13 May 2025
After arriving in Leh, cyclists warm up with a three-day acclimatization loop that hugs the banks of the Indus River and takes in ancient monasteries.
—Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for warm-up
Cite this Entry
“Warm-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warm-up. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
warm-up
1 of 2 noun
: 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
: to engage in preliminary exercise (as to stretch the muscles)
important to warm up properly before running
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