warm-up

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Light exercise or practice done to prepare your body or mind before a main activity.

   Grammar: Countable: use a/an or the with it, and the plural is warm-ups.

   Patterns

   • do a warm-up
   • a good warm-up
   • warm-up before something

   The coach led a ten-minute warm-up before the match.

   Always do a warm-up before you start lifting weights.

   Her warm-up included stretching and easy jogging.

2. 2nouncountable

   A short performance or game that comes before the main one.

   Grammar: Countable; often used before another noun, as in a warm-up act.

   Patterns

   • a warm-up act
   • a warm-up game
   • as a warm-up

   The comedian was just a warm-up act for the main singer.

   They played a friendly match as a warm-up for the tournament.

   The band did a short warm-up before the concert started.

Word forms

Common combinations

do a warm-up

We always do a warm-up before the race.

a proper warm-up

A proper warm-up can prevent injuries.

warm-up exercises

The teacher showed us some warm-up exercises.

as a warm-up

He sang a simple song as a warm-up.

Synonyms and how they differ

preparation

A more general word for getting ready; it can mean mental or practical preparation, not just physical exercise.

stretch

A single movement that lengthens a muscle; a warm-up usually includes several stretches and light activity.

Opposites

Word family

warm up phrasal verb

To do light exercise or practice to get ready.

Commonly confused: warm-up or warm up?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “warm-up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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