1 B1 neutral
To reheat food that was previously cooked.
"She warmed over the leftover stew from the night before."
separable
warm over
C1 informal separable transitive
To reheat food, or (figuratively) to present old ideas or material as if they were new.
In plain English
Heat food again that was already cooked, or recycle old ideas and try to pass them off as fresh.
What does "warm over" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic informal
(Figurative, chiefly North American) To present old, stale ideas or material as if they are new; to rehash.
"The politician's speech was just warmed-over rhetoric from his last campaign."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To apply heat over food again.
Actually means
Heat food again that was already cooked, or recycle old ideas and try to pass them off as fresh.
Usage tip
In American English, 'warmed-over' as an adjective is more common than the verb form, and frequently describes stale, recycled ideas or arguments. The food sense is straightforward. Primarily North American usage.
Words that pair with "warm over"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
food leftovers ideas argument material content
How to conjugate "warm over"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
warm over
I/you/we/they
3rd person
warms over
he/she/it
Past simple
warmed over
yesterday
Past participle
warmed over
have + pp
-ing form
warming over
continuous
Hear "warm over" in the wild
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Other ways to say "warm over"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
heat up again recycle rehash reheat reuse
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