warm
Americanadjective
-
having or giving out a moderate degree of heat, as perceived by the senses.
a warm bath.
- Antonyms:
- cool
-
of or at a moderately high temperature; characterized by comparatively high temperature.
a warm oven; a warm climate; a warm summer.
- Antonyms:
- cool
-
having a sensation of bodily heat.
to be warm from fast walking.
- Antonyms:
- cool
-
conserving or maintaining warmth or heat.
warm clothes.
-
(of colors) suggestive of warmth; inclining toward red or orange rather than toward green or blue.
-
characterized by or showing lively feelings, passions, emotions, sympathies, etc..
a warm heart; warm interest.
-
strongly attached; intimate.
warm friends.
-
cordial or hearty.
a warm welcome.
- Synonyms:
- fervent
- Antonyms:
- aloof, unfriendly
-
heated, irritated, or angry.
to become warm when contradicted.
-
animated, lively, brisk, or vigorous.
a warm debate.
- Synonyms:
- vehement
-
strong or fresh.
a warm scent.
-
close to something sought, as in a game.
-
uncomfortable or unpleasant.
His opponents made things so warm that he decided to quit.
-
British Informal. well off; in easy circumstances.
verb (used with object)
-
to make warm; heat (often followed byup ).
to warm one's hands; to warm up a room.
-
to heat or cook (something) for reuse, as leftovers (usually followed by over orup ).
to warm up yesterday's stew.
-
to excite enthusiasm, ardor, cheerfulness, or vitality in (someone).
The wine soon warmed the company.
-
to inspire with kindly feeling; affect with lively pleasure.
It warms my soul to hear you say that.
-
to fill (a person, crowd, etc.) with strong feelings, as hatred, anger, or zeal.
Restrictions had warmed the crew to the point of mutiny.
verb (used without object)
-
to become warm or warmer (often followed byup ).
The room will warm up when the fire gets going.
-
to become ardent, enthusiastic, animated, etc. (often followed by up orto ).
The speaker quickly warmed to her subject.
-
to grow kindly, friendly, or sympathetically disposed (often followed by to ortoward ).
My heart warms toward him.
noun
idioms
adjective
-
characterized by or having a moderate degree of heat; moderately hot
-
maintaining or imparting heat
a warm coat
-
having or showing ready affection, kindliness, etc
a warm personality
-
lively, vigorous, or passionate
a warm debate
-
cordial or enthusiastic; ardent
warm support
-
quickly or easily aroused
a warm temper
-
(of colours) predominantly red or yellow in tone
-
(of a scent, trail, etc) recently made; strong
-
near to finding a hidden object or discovering or guessing facts, as in children's games
-
informal uncomfortable or disagreeable, esp because of the proximity of danger
verb
-
(sometimes foll by up) to raise or be raised in temperature; make or become warm or warmer
-
to make or become excited, enthusiastic, etc (about)
he warmed to the idea of buying a new car
-
to feel affection, kindness, etc (for someone)
I warmed to her mother from the start
-
(tr) to give a caning to
I'll warm you in a minute
noun
-
informal a warm place or area
come into the warm
-
informal the act or an instance of warming or being warmed
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
warmernoun
-
warmnessnoun
-
rewarmverb
-
prewarmverb (used with object)
-
overwarmedadjective
-
unwarmedadjective
-
unwarmingadjective
-
warmishadjective
-
well-warmedadjective
-
warmlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
warmsimple
-
warmssimple
-
have warmedperfect
-
has warmedperfect
-
am warmingprogressive
-
are warmingprogressive
-
is warmingprogressive
-
have been warmingperfect progressive
-
has been warmingperfect progressive
Past
-
warmedsimple
-
had warmedperfect
-
was warmingprogressive
-
were warmingprogressive
-
had been warmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of warm
First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective werm, warm, wearm(e), Old English wearm; cognate with German warm, Old Norse varmr; akin to Latin formus “warm,” Greek thermós “warm,” Sanskrit gharmá- “heat,” Avestan garəma “hot,” Old Prussian gorme “heat,” Armenian ǰerm “warm”; the verb is akin to the adjective; the noun is derivative of the verb
Vocabulary lists containing warm
Visual Arts - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Visual Arts - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Visual Arts - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But the popular Korean spa, with its beloved “Buff” body scrubs and warm clay sauna, has become … well, crowded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Fans arrived to warm but manageable conditions, allowing the final to unfold without the weather becoming another headline.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Cooler temperatures are on the way for some parts of the UK after a first half of summer dominated by warm, sunny and largely dry weather.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Whether Trump will warm to Burnham remains unclear.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
The shower too was glorious: warm clean water over my festering skin, streams of water through my matted hair.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
![]()
In laboratory experiments and controlled applications on skin, the tetrapod sunscreen produced a warmer appearance that more closely matched natural skin tones.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
“And once it makes that transition from the warmer to the cooler waters, it’s going to fall apart rapidly. So really, it’s just the remnants that are moving forward.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
We now deal with wildfire smoke every year, in a “season” that stretches longer and longer each year thanks to warmer and drier conditions.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Adapting to warmer conditions threatens to add another major burden for businesses and government budgets in the years to come.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The people around you are growing restless from waiting, a sea of shuffling feet, murmuring about abandoning the endeavor in search of someplace warmer to pass the evening.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
![]()
The warmest the Three Lions have played in was 25C for the final group game against Panama, but that featured overcast skies.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
I have dozens of friends and colleagues still living there, and my warmest memories of working in theater in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia come from this frigid city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Much of this loss will occur in India: Since record-keeping began in 1901, the country has experienced 10 of its warmest years in the past 15 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
It is likely we will see the warmest June night on record on Thursday night as minimum temperatures across Wales, the Midlands and the South East are not expected to fall below 21 to 23C.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
“I packed the warmest ones you made for me.”
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
![]()
Most agree it is likely to weaken as the planet warms.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
As the planet warms, soils can release more carbon, which in turn adds more CO2 to the atmosphere and may contribute to additional warming.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
The Aero warms the water and incorporates the matcha, leaving you with a frothy base to serve on its own or mix with milk, lemonade, peach nectar or even espresso.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
In the early evening, just before dusk, the sun peeks through the trees and warms the bench.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
The water is cool at first despite the heat of the room, but slowly warms up as we move our feet back and forth.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
![]()
Saka warmed up during the closing stages but never entered the contest - and the decision quickly became one of the tournament's defining talking points.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
“Get your hands warmed up—we’re going to clap the syllables, ready?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Wales warmed up for the Nations Championship with victory against Barbarians on a day when George North delivered a crowd-pleasing, try-scoring farewell.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Kennedy added that Europe had warmed by around 2C in the 50 years since the 1976 major heatwave, with "high confidence there is a human contribution to that observed warming".
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
The April sunlight had already warmed the attic to a delightful toastiness.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
![]()
The European economy is under increasing pressure from a warming climate, according to analysts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Do it in the right way – it’s not a science lecture on global warming, it’s a story about how clean energy can reduce your bills.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
This process acted as a natural brake on warming for millions of years and helped move Earth toward its present cooler climate.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
It is now more visible than ever thanks to the rise of rapid analysis studies that can detect the signature of global warming on disasters within days, rather than years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
About 18,000 years ago, the last ice age gave way to a period of global warming.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.