warm up

What it means

To do gentle exercises or movements to prepare your body before a workout, sport, or performance. It can also mean to make food, a room, or an engine warmer; the meaning depends on context, and it is separable when it takes an object.

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Examples

• The players warmed up for twenty minutes before the match started.
• I always warm up my voice before singing on stage.
• Let the car warm up for a minute before you drive off.
• She warmed up by stretching her legs and jogging slowly around the track.

Where it comes from

Originally a literal phrase about raising temperature, the athletic sense became common in the early 20th century with the rise of organized sport. The related noun 'warm-up' (a set of preparatory exercises) is now standard everywhere.

Related phrasal verbs