as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
the couple's initial exchange of insults proved to be only a warm-up for their booze-fueled fight later that night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of warm (up)
Rudy Mawer, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
There were very few empty seats (which is atypical for a weeknight Dodger game, as fans fight traffic and a less-than-fan-friendly parking lot) as Ohtani began his warm-up tosses.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Incorporate warm-up and cooldown exercises to ease into exercising and protect your muscles from injury.
—Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 16 June 2025
Father’s Day can sometimes seem like an afterthought in the late-spring holiday lineup: third place behind Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, a mere warm-up barbecue before the Fourth of July.
—Augustine Sedgewick, Time, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for warm (up)
Noun
Podcasts, business publications and niche platforms are your warm-up stage.
—Rudy Mawer, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
There were very few empty seats (which is atypical for a weeknight Dodger game, as fans fight traffic and a less-than-fan-friendly parking lot) as Ohtani began his warm-up tosses.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Incorporate warm-up and cooldown exercises to ease into exercising and protect your muscles from injury.
—Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 16 June 2025
Father’s Day can sometimes seem like an afterthought in the late-spring holiday lineup: third place behind Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, a mere warm-up barbecue before the Fourth of July.
—Augustine Sedgewick, Time, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for warm (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warm (up)
Verb
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The firm provides outsourced customer care and back office services to large enterprises, which investors believe will be displaced by generative AI being deployed directly by its customers.—
Ganesh Rao,Jenni Reid,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
19 June 2025
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Certainly this is true of telecommunications companies, as well as those providing utilities such as water and electricity.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Perhaps as a prelude to a settlement, Salem Media just issued another apology for allowing Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann to voice false statements about Coomer on air.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
20 June 2025
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That latest dot plot carried preludes to stagflation—among the most catastrophic economic scenarios.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
18 June 2025
Verb
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After Belfield was arrested at the airport, Manchester police said he had been charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, manslaughter, conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to supply class A drugs.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
25 June 2025
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The expenditures have already boosted Greece’s relationship with major powers like the U.S. and France, Piccoli said, partly because these nations supply military equipment to Athens.—
Sophie Kiderlin,
CNBC,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Sports High School Sports News See who qualified from Thursday's preliminaries for the CIFSS Division 1 finals on Saturday at Mt. SAC.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
8 May 2025
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And this month, he was seeded No. 1 in the Division II 50-yard freestyle at CIF and won in the preliminaries before being edged in the finals by 0.05 seconds.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2025
Verb
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The apartment, which came furnished, rents for $300 a month.—
Levi King,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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In the hundreds of Maricopa County death penalty cases that prosecutors have pursued since 2007, the cost of furnishing the accused with an adequate defense has totaled $289 million.—
Nicole Santa Cruz,
ProPublica,
9 June 2025
Verb
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In Kenya, for instance, tech-staffing firm Tana equips entry-level tech talent with in-demand skills, offering international clients a sustainable way to scale.—
Chris Barbin,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Additionally, a satellite production facility in Kirkland, Washington, is equipped to build up to five satellites per day.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Based on historical sources, officials identified the structure as a single-room anti-tank bunker, likely armed with an anti-tank gun and occupied by four people.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2025
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Despite this, preliminary reports indicate that on Friday morning, non-stealthy fourth-generation Israeli F-16s armed with small-diameter bombs flew less than 50 miles outside the heart of Tehran.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Instead, follow new rules: Entertain first, then inspire or educate.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Elite provides hybrid education and online school — mainly homeschooling — to about 1,800 students who are primarily taught by their parents or private vendors who Elite pays to educate its students.—
Kristen Taketa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Warm (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warm%20%28up%29. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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