warm up
B1Neutral, used across formal and informal contexts.
Definition
Meaning
To raise the temperature or prepare for physical activity.
To make something more interesting, lively, or comfortable; to practice or rehearse before a main event; to become friendlier or more receptive.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Functionally, it acts as both a phrasal verb (warm up, warms up, warmed up, warming up) and a countable noun (a warm-up). The noun form is hyphenated.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal differences in core meaning. The noun 'warm-up' is standard in both. UK sports commentary may use it more frequently in contexts like cricket.
Connotations
Similar connotations of preparation and readiness in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] + warm up + (Object)[Subject] + warm up + for + [Event][Subject] + warm up + to + [Person/Idea]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Warm up to someone/something (become more fond of).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
To prepare for a meeting or presentation: 'Let's warm up the clients with some small talk.'
Academic
Describing preparatory exercises in sports science research.
Everyday
Preparing for exercise or heating food.
Technical
The process of bringing machinery or an engine to optimal operating temperature.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The athletes need to warm up on the pitch before the match.
- Can you warm up the soup in the microwave?
American English
- The band warmed up the crowd before the main act.
- It takes my car a minute to warm up in this cold.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Drink tea to warm up.
- We warm up before gym class.
- The comedian told a joke to warm up the audience.
- Remember to warm up the car on icy mornings.
- It took me a while to warm up to my new colleagues.
- The engines must warm up for precisely three minutes prior to takeoff.
- The negotiators used informal discussions as a diplomatic warm-up for the main talks.
- The data centre servers require a significant warm-up period to reach optimal efficiency.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a singer holding a WARM mug UP to their throat before a performance. It helps them warm up their voice.
Conceptual Metaphor
PREPARATION IS HEATING (e.g., warm up an engine, warm up an audience).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating literally as 'греть вверх'. Use 'разогреваться' (for exercise/engine) or 'разминаться'. For 'warm up to someone', use 'привыкать' or 'становиться дружелюбнее'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'warm up' for simply increasing room temperature (better: 'heat up the room').
- Confusing 'warm up' (prepare) with 'heat up' (increase temperature).
- Incorrect separation: 'I warmed the engine up' is correct, but '*I warmed up it' is incorrect.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'warm up' used metaphorically?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, when used as a noun or adjective (e.g., 'a ten-minute warm-up', 'warm-up exercises'). The verb is not hyphenated (e.g., 'to warm up').
'Warm up' often implies a gradual process to reach a suitable temperature or state of readiness. 'Heat up' focuses more directly on the act of making something hot, often to a higher temperature.
Yes, both physically ('I warmed up by the fire') and socially/emotionally ('She warmed up to me after our chat').
Yes, it is a separable phrasal verb. You can say 'warm up the food' or 'warm the food up'. However, if the object is a pronoun (it, them), it must go in the middle: 'warm it up'.