warm-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈwȯrm-ˌəp 

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

warm up

2 of 2

verb

warmed up; warming up; warms up

intransitive verb

: to engage in exercise or practice especially before entering a game or contest

broadly : to get ready

Synonyms of warm-up

Noun

• prelude
• preliminary

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

Noun

For those who have spent pre-season consuming Liverpool’s in-house media content, one of the recurring visible figures who has been leading the opening phases of training sessions and pre-match warm-ups is De la Torre. — Andy Jones, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

Gone like a handful of warm-up practice notes in the midmorning air. — Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Verb

Jared Verse #8 of the Cleveland Browns warms up during the Cleveland Browns OTA Offseason Workouts at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 03, 2026 in Berea, Ohio. — Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

When right-hander Kevin Gausman departed mid-inning in the fifth because of cramping in his left hand, Assad was summoned from the bullpen to take over and warm up on the mound. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1846, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for warm-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

warm-up

noun

ˈwȯr-ˌməp

1

: the act or an instance of warming up

2

: a practice or set of exercises done before a game, contest, or workout

Medical Definition

warm-up

1 of 2 noun

ˈwȯr-ˌməp 

: 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

(ˈ)wȯr-ˈməp 

: to engage in preliminary exercise (as to stretch the muscles)

important to warm up properly before running