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

But Musk predicts that this is just a warm-up act. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026

Liu clapped when Levito’s score was read amid her own warm-up, then ripped through the debut of her new free skate set to a medley of Lady Gaga songs. —Dave Skretta, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2026

Verb

He was supposed to play Sunday against Milwaukee, but he was ruled out of that game after warming up and underwent a stress test Monday that prompted the Nuggets to keep him back in Denver. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026

Hadi said South Florida should dry up by the weekend while temperatures warm up a bit. —Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 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