as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
the couple's initial exchange of insults proved to be only a warm-up for their booze-fueled fight later that night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of warm (up)
Cutter Martin, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
More recently, the daredevil actor has focused on warm-up stretches, muscling his eight-film franchise to its explosive finale.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
This allows users to tailor sessions for warm-ups, post-training recovery or even relaxation.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
The event will begin with a warm-up led by local fitness trainer Cassy DaSilva, then La Jollan Chas.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for warm (up)
Noun
The real warm-up arrives Wednesday into Thursday.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
More recently, the daredevil actor has focused on warm-up stretches, muscling his eight-film franchise to its explosive finale.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
This allows users to tailor sessions for warm-ups, post-training recovery or even relaxation.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
The event will begin with a warm-up led by local fitness trainer Cassy DaSilva, then La Jollan Chas.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for warm (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warm (up)
Verb
-
This two-story house provides a generous living space with its five bedrooms and four baths.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
-
When institutions offer ambiguous framing, populists provide clarity.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Senate has come up with a plan (SB 318) that is a sensible prelude to getting the voucher program under control.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
-
In a prelude to parties across America the following year, the queen had invited the chairmen of state bicentennial commissions from the 13 rebellious Colonies to mark the good will that had grown between the former enemies in the intervening two centuries.—
Paul Edward Parker,
The Providence Journal,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The mission was to show the flag, explore commercial opportunities – including routes to supply gold-mining operations – and display a little firepower.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The launches follow Lumus supplying the waveguide used in Meta Ray-Ban Display AR glasses in 2025, a deal that demonstrated both optical performance and mass manufacturability of geometric waveguides.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Lower‑demand preliminaries will likely be the most affordable, while high‑profile events—gymnastics finals, swimming finals, track and field, and the opening ceremony—will sit at the top end of the pricing spectrum.—
Paris Wilson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Jan. 2026
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Is it reduced to yet another fill-in-the-blank preliminary to a national title game in some super-duper-they-look-alike stadium?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
From my own experience, winter is one of the best times to furnish your home without blowing your budget, and there are tons of timeless pieces on sale right now to refresh my space.—
Jacquelyn McGilvray,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
-
After moving to Los Angeles from Palo Alto in 2023 with only a standing desk and a bed frame, Tess van Hulsen and Andrew Chait learned quickly how to furnish an empty rental without buying anything new.—
Lisa Boone,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Artificial intelligence inspires both excitement and anxiety, and few people are as well equipped to separate signal from noise as Rajeev Kapur.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The property is equipped with a heating system.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Toward that goal, retailers can arm store associates with technology that supports sales.—
Sarah Jones,
Footwear News,
23 Jan. 2026
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Beck features the size (6-4, 220), arm talent and intangibles that NFL teams seek in a starting QB, but the inconsistency followed him to Coral Gables.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The talking heads educated the viewers about the basics of climbing, all while host Elle Duncan repeatedly reminded us that Honnold could die at any moment.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Warm (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warm%20%28up%29. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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