warm up

See also: warmup, Warmup, warm-up, and Warm-up

English

Verb

warm up (third-person singular simple present warms up, present participle warming up, simple past and past participle warmed up)

1. (intransitive) To become warmer.

   He came inside to warm up.

   • 1944 November and December, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 342:

     It took a long time for the place to warm up and to counteract the cold and enable their fingers to cope with the delicate task of moulding, the men would often surround themselves with blocks of iron heated in the furnace.

2. (transitive) To heat or reheat (e.g. food).

   I couldn't be bothered to cook another meal so I just warmed up yesterday's leftovers.

3. (intransitive, transitive) To reach, or cause to reach, a normal operating temperature (of a car for example).

   These old valve radios take a few minutes to warm up.

4. (figuratively) To physically or mentally prepare oneself, something or someone for an activity.
   1. (intransitive) To do gentle exercise, stretching etc., in order to prepare the body for more vigorous exercise.

      It is important to warm up properly before your gym session.

   2. (intransitive) To prepare for an activity by carrying out a practice or preparation routine.

      The band were already on stage, warming up for the gig.

   3. (transitive) To make (an audience) enthusiastic or animated before a show.

      Rich knew how to warm up the audience of The Price is Right. His good looks and charming personality made even that special.

      • 2023 March 14, Alexandra Jacobs, “Your Annoying Roommate Is Slaying on TikTok”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

        It was a dark Saturday night last month on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where Saturday nights can get very dark, but Sabrina Brier, in a rhinestone necklace and strapless plaid pantsuit, was agleam onstage at a basement comedy club called Caveat warming up the crowd.

5. (intransitive, figuratively) Synonym of warm (to favor increasingly). [with to]

Derived terms

• warmer-upper
• warm-up

Related terms

• warm down

Translations

to become warmer

• Arabic: اِسْتَدْفَأَ (istadfaʔa)
• Azerbaijani: qızmaq, qızışmaq
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暖和（起來）／暖和（起来） (zh) (nuǎnhuó (qǐlái))

• Finnish: lämmitellä (fi)
• French: se réchauffer (fr), se chauffer (fr)
• German: sich aufwärmen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: θερμαίνομαι (thermaínomai)

• Hungarian: felmelegedik (hu), megmelegedik (hu)
• Ingrian: varistua, kuumeta
• Japanese: 温まる (ja) (あたたまる, atatamaru)
• Latin: calēscō
• Portuguese: aquecer (pt)
• Quechua: ruphay, qunuy
• Russian: нагрева́ться (ru) impf (nagrevátʹsja), нагре́ться (ru) pf (nagrétʹsja), согрева́ться (ru) impf (sogrevátʹsja), гре́ться (ru) impf (grétʹsja), согре́ться (ru) pf (sogrétʹsja)
• Slovak: ohriať sa, ohrievať sa, zohriať sa, zohrievať sa
• Walloon: si restchåfer, si reschandi (wa)
• Welsh: cynhesu (cy), twymo (cy)

to reheat food

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 熱／热 (zh) (rè), 加熱／加热 (zh) (jiārè)

• Czech: ohřát (cs)
• Finnish: lämmittää (fi)
• French: réchauffer (fr)
• German: aufwärmen (de), wärmen (de)
• Hungarian: felmelegít (hu), megmelegít (hu)
• Japanese: 加熱する (ja) (かねつする, kanetsu suru)
• Maori: whakatāmahana, tāmahana
• Portuguese: reaquecer (pt)
• Russian: разогрева́ть (ru) impf (razogrevátʹ), разогре́ть (ru) pf (razogrétʹ), подогрева́ть (ru) impf (podogrevátʹ), подогре́ть (ru) pf (podogrétʹ), греть (ru) impf (gretʹ)
• Slovak: zohriať, zohrievať
• Walloon: ritchåfer (wa)
• Welsh: cynhesu (cy), twymo (cy)

to reach a normal operating temperature

• Arabic: دَفَّأَ (daffaʔa) (transitive), (imperfect) ^{(please verify)} يُدَفِّئ (yudaffiʔ), أَدْفَأَ (ʔadfaʔa), (imperfect) ^{(please verify)} يُدْفِئ (yudfiʔ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暖 (zh) (nuǎn), 焐 (zh) (wù), 變熱／变热 (biàn rè)

• Finnish: lämmittää (fi) (transitive), lämmetä (fi) (intransitive)
• Hungarian: bemelegedik (hu)
• Japanese: 暖める (ja) (atatameru) (transitive), 暖まる (ja) (atatamaru) (intransitive), ウォームアップする (ja) (wōmuappu suru) (of athlete)
• Portuguese: aquecer (pt)
• Russian: нагрева́ть (ru) impf (nagrevátʹ) (transitive), гре́ть (ru) impf (grétʹ) (transitive), нагрева́ться (ru) impf (nagrevátʹsja) (intransitive), гре́ться (ru) impf (grétʹsja) (intransitive), нагре́ться (ru) pf (nagrétʹsja) (intransitive)
• Slovak: zahriať sa, zahrievať sa
• Walloon: tchåfer (wa)
• ǃXóõ: ǂgáʻã

to stretch etc before exercise

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 熱身／热身 (zh) (rèshēn)

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: verrytellä (fi), lämmitellä (fi)
• Hungarian: bemelegít (hu)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: koiri
• Polish: rozgrzać się (pl) pf, rozgrzewać się (pl) impf
• Slovak: zahriať sa, zahrievať sa, rozcvičiť sa, rozcvičovať sa
• Swedish: värma upp (sv)
• Vietnamese: khởi động (vi)

to do some additional practice

• Finnish: lämmitellä (fi)
• French: s’échauffer (fr)
• Hungarian: bemelegít (hu)
• Maori: koiri
• Russian: размина́ться (ru) impf (razminátʹsja), размя́ться (ru) pf (razmjátʹsja)
• Spanish: calentar motores

to make an audience enthusiastic

• Finnish: lämmittää (fi), lämmitellä (fi)
• French: échauffer (fr)
• German: aufwärmen (de)
• Hungarian: bemelegít (hu), fellelkesít (hu)
• Portuguese: aquecer (pt), animar (pt), entusiasmar (pt)
• Russian: разогрева́ть (ru) impf (razogrevátʹ), разогре́ть (ru) pf (razogrétʹ)
• Walloon: estchåfer

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /waʁ.m‿œp/

Noun

warm up m (plural warm ups)

1. heat (preliminary race, used to determine the participants in a final race)
2. warm-up