What does warmup mean?
A warmup is a period of preparatory exercise used to increase physical warmth, alertness, coordination, or familiarity before a performance, match, or demanding activity. It may consist of light exercises, stretches, practice attempts, drills, or a combination of these. The word also has an informal figurative use for an introductory conversation, preliminary event, or stage that allows people or circumstances to settle before the principal activity begins. In this extended sense, a warm-up can make a rehearsal more relaxed, reveal how participants are performing, or soften an otherwise formal occasion. The connotations are generally positive: preparation is treated as sensible, useful, and usually brief. Spoken usage often favors “warmup” as one word, while “warm-up” is conventional in formal writing and frequently used attributively, as in “warm-up exercises.” Overall, the term links physical preparation with the broader idea of becoming ready, comfortable, and effective before a main event.
nounA period of preparatory exercise or activity intended to increase warmth, alertness, and readiness before a performance, competition, or other main activity. By extension, it can mean an informal preliminary session or event that prepares for something more important.
- Preparatory exercises or a period of exercise performed to increase bodily warmth, alertness, or readiness.
- A preliminary event, session, or stage before a main event, especially when used informally.
- An informal period of introductory conversation or activity intended to establish ease or familiarity.
"The players arrived early for their warm-up before the match."
"We did a short warm-up before going on stage."
"The interview began with a friendly warm-up before the serious questions."
The standard plural may also be written “warmups,” depending on style, although “warm-ups” preserves the hyphenated form.
"The club organized two warm-ups before the tournament."
A match can be a warm-up, but so can a conversation: the phrase has travelled neatly from warming the body to easing into the main event.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of warmup
Warmup is a compound of “warm” and “up,” developed in the early nineteenth century from the idea of heating or preparing the body before exertion. Its figurative use for preliminary activity followed later. “Warm” derives from Old English wearm, inherited through Proto-Germanic, while “up” comes from Old English upp; related forms include “warmth,” “upward,” and “upwards.”
Related word forms
How warmup is actually used
The physical and sporting senses are neutral and widely used. The extended senses are often informal, especially when referring to an introductory conversation or preliminary event. The one-word spelling is common in general use, while “warm-up” is preferred in many editorial styles and is especially frequent before another noun.
Easily confused with warmup
“Warm up” is normally a verb meaning to prepare or heat gradually; “warmup” is chiefly a noun naming the preparatory period or activity.