From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwarm up phrasal verb1 make warmHOT to become warm, or to make someone or something warm With the fire on, the room should soon warm up. Once the weather warms up, you can move the plants outdoors.warm something ↔ up I turned on the grill to warm it up.warm somebody up Come inside and have a drink. It’ll warm you up.2 food to heat food, especially food that has already been cooked, so that it is hot enough to eat, or to become hot enough to eatwarm something ↔ up I’ll put the lasagne in the oven to warm it up.3 do exercisesDSAPD to do gentle physical exercises to prepare your body for dancing, sport etc The runners began warming up. → warm-up1(1), warm-up2(2)4 machine/engineTTCTI if a machine or engine warms up, or if you warm it up, it becomes ready to work properly after being switched on He waited for the photocopier to warm up.warm something ↔ up He started to warm up the aircraft’s engines.5 eventDLENJOY/LIKE DOING something if a party, election etc warms up, it starts to become enjoyable or interesting, especially because more is happening The race for governor is beginning to warm up.6 practise if musicians, singers, or performers warm up, they practise just before a performance The band had little time to warm up before going on stage.7 perform/speak firstHAPPYEXCITED to perform or speak first at an event, so that the people listening are relaxed or excited before the main singer, speaker etc comes onwarm somebody ↔ up He warmed up the audience by telling them a few jokes. for They warmed up for U2 on one of their early tours. → look/feel like death warmed up/over at death(8) → warm→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
warm up• Drink some of this coffee -- it'll warm you up.• Hardin stood by the fire to warm up.• It usually takes a long time for the sea to warm up.• The room began to warm up.• I tried to warm her up by covering her in a blanket.• As the days finally warm up, casual, low-maintenance meals are going to be in demand, preferably eaten outside.• It's pretty cold outside now, but it should warm up later.• This is the best way to warm up old people and comfort those in need.• It's important to warm up properly before you do any sport.• His role has been rather like that of a stand-up comic warming up the audience for the main event.• People can manipulate the temperature inside the car and warm up the engine before they step out of their house.• The kitchen with a small staff cooked or warmed up the men's food free of charge.• Workers in surgical masks are running a hydraulic compressor and tractor-trailer drivers are warming up their big rigs.• However it did warm up very quickly.warm for• Again, warm up for 20 to 25 minutes, do your repeats and warm down for 20 to 25 minutes.• They were warming up for a game against Point Loma when somebody asked both to name their five favorite athletes.• Some people like to have a sharp canter to warm up for the steeplechase, I prefer not to.warm-upˈwarm-up1 noun [countable] 1 DSAPDa set of gentle exercises you do to prepare your body for sport, dancing etc → warm up at warm22 → warm-upsExamples from the Corpus
warm-up• The sessions started with a modern dance class as a warm-up.• This proved to be only a warm-up.• Most silent is the dawn workout, a warm-up for the day, with 45 minutes of focus on technique.• a warm-up jacket• When I went out for warm-ups, I felt a rhythm and it felt good.• He had pulled a hamstring during his warm-up and had done well to patrol as relentlessly as he did for an hour.• Players wearing Kansas warm-ups were on the field.• The Oregon women go through their structured warm-up, an orchestrated set of drills, crisp and choreographed.• At the warm-up track, which was alongside the stadium, I had my usual massage and began my leisurely warm-up.• Bozek did the warm-up but sat out the game due to an injured back.warm-upwarm-up2 adjective 1 a warm-up match, game, or race is held to give the sportsmen or players practice before a big event2 warm-up exercises are done to prepare your body before playing a sport or dancing3 a warm-up jacket is worn to keep you warm when you are doing exercises4 a warm-up man or band prepares the people at an event for the main speaker, singer etc by singing, telling jokes etcExamples from the Corpus
warm-up• Some competitions provide a warm-up area matted with the same material as the actual competition area.• Souness is full of confidence after seeing his team hammer 14 goals in their last three warm-up games.• Sally whips off her warm-up jersey and sprints to the scoring table, where she kneels, waiting to be called in.• A warm-up lap, unlike a victory lap, could be done by telephone.• There was a sea of dinner-jacketed dignitaries and a jovial Sir Peter Ustinov as warm-up man.• Even in a bulky warm-up suit, sitting hunched over the handlebars, she looks skinny.• This warm-up technique is useful only if you have two or three documents to write that day.• What is the quickest way from the warm-up track to the stadium? 