1 A2 neutral
To do light exercise to prepare the body before more intense physical activity.
"Always warm up for at least ten minutes before you start running."
inseparable
warm up
A2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To gradually become warmer, to prepare the body for exercise, to prepare a machine or engine, or to make someone feel more comfortable and relaxed.
In plain English
Get warmer, get your body ready for exercise, get a machine ready to work, or help someone feel relaxed.
What does "warm up" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
To gradually reach the correct operating temperature (for an engine, machine, or device).
"Let the car engine warm up for a minute before you drive in cold weather."
inseparable
3 A2 neutral
To become or make a person feel warmer after being cold.
"Come inside and have some soup — it'll warm you up."
separable
4 B1 idiomatic neutral
To make an audience, crowd, or person feel relaxed, enthusiastic, and ready.
"The comedian spent twenty minutes warming up the audience before the main act."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To become or make warm, moving upward in temperature.
Actually means
Get warmer, get your body ready for exercise, get a machine ready to work, or help someone feel relaxed.
Usage tip
Extremely versatile. Used for physical preparation before sports, for gradually increasing an engine or device's performance, for an audience before a show ('warm-up act'), and for making a social atmosphere friendlier.
Words that pair with "warm up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
engine muscles crowd audience oven car voice
How to conjugate "warm up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
warm up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
warms up
he/she/it
Past simple
warmed up
yesterday
Past participle
warmed up
have + pp
-ing form
warming up
continuous
Hear "warm up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "warm up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "warm up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.