as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
the couple's initial exchange of insults proved to be only a warm-up for their booze-fueled fight later that night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of warm (up)
Katherine Lagrave, AFAR Media, 10 Dec. 2024
The other big question is whether a good, hard warm-up accomplishes the same thing.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 16 Dec. 2024
As more players take the field to warm-up, colleague Jeff Zrebiec stops by to catch up.
—Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
In this scenario, the move works great as a warm-up activation drill before a workout, Dr. Betiku says—like this four-move lower-body dumbbell routine, for example.
—Christa Sgobba, SELF, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for warm (up) 
Noun
Lean into Nordic life with a warm-up inside floating sauna Sisu + Löyly.
—Katherine Lagrave, AFAR Media, 10 Dec. 2024
The other big question is whether a good, hard warm-up accomplishes the same thing.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 16 Dec. 2024
As more players take the field to warm-up, colleague Jeff Zrebiec stops by to catch up.
—Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
In this scenario, the move works great as a warm-up activation drill before a workout, Dr. Betiku says—like this four-move lower-body dumbbell routine, for example.
—Christa Sgobba, SELF, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for warm (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warm (up)
Verb
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The administration had also unveiled a separate program that would have provided student loan forgiveness to people based on hardship.Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
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Money also helps cordon off the boundaries of an exchange: Once the service has been provided and the money handed over, each party can walk away knowing they’re settled up.Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Irsay has yet to speak on the matter, and if the past is a prelude, that usually means change is coming.Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
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The storm will be a prelude to what's expected to be a very cold, potentially stormy stretch of weather for much of the U.S. as the calendar turns to 2025. Times Square forecast is soggy New York City, specifically Times Square, is one of the areas that will be soaked by the storm.Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Apparently real life—both past and present—supplied more than enough excitement.Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
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Johnson supplied his own menorah, which was made out of shrapnel from rockets shot down by the Israel Defense Forces.Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The Southern Section held its track and field preliminaries at four sites around Southern California on Saturday, and sophomore Brian Bonner of Valencia High continued his rise to prominence.Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2024
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In 1988: Greg Louganis won the gold medal in the 3-meter springboard at the Seoul Olympics one day after hitting his head on the diving board during the preliminaries.Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 21 Sep. 2024
Verb
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In the 16th century, Rabelais furnished his novels with long lists of books, using the titles to satirize ecclesiastical libraries, the clergy, and religion in general.Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
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The room is also furnished with wardrobes and some drawers.Adam Williams, New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Traveling with a support crew in a Titan (Nissan’s full-size pickup) equipped with safety equipment like a winch and recovery straps, Bouckley and the team strapped on their own snow boots, bundled up in cold weather gear, and headed out in search of blizzard activity.Kristin Shaw, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
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There will be a pretend pharmacy, equipped with the same inventory control systems and devices that real pharmacists use.George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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China has been calling for other nations armed with nuclear weapons to make the same commitment to no-first-use of nukes.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
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Advertisement But the filmmakers know when to elongate tension elsewhere, as in a deliciously mean-spirited dinner scene in which the Count, armed with his unwitting targets’ secret sins, toys with them, a performance that also betrays an inkling of his cruelty’s perilousness.Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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With the growth of phishing, educating employees on suspicious links and being mindful of grammar and formatting errors is important.Mike Wilson, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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The group’s funding comes from Mansoor and Haider Syed, two brothers who were born in Saudi Arabia but educated in the U.S. who led a fund established to buy a football club.Matt Woosnam, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near warm (up)
Cite this Entry
“Warm (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warm%20%28up%29. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.
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