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warm

American  
[wawrm] / wɔrm /

adjective

  • warmer,
    comparative
  • warmest
    superlative
  1. having or giving out a moderate degree of heat, as perceived by the senses.

    a warm bath.

    Synonyms:
    heated, tepid, lukewarm
    Antonyms:
    cool
  2. of or at a moderately high temperature; characterized by comparatively high temperature.

    a warm oven; a warm climate; a warm summer.

    Antonyms:
    cool
  3. having a sensation of bodily heat.

    to be warm from fast walking.

    Antonyms:
    cool
  4. conserving or maintaining warmth or heat.

    warm clothes.

  5. (of colors) suggestive of warmth; inclining toward red or orange rather than toward green or blue.

  6. characterized by or showing lively feelings, passions, emotions, sympathies, etc..

    a warm heart; warm interest.

    Synonyms:
    ardent, emotional, fervid, fervent, enthusiastic, hearty
  7. strongly attached; intimate.

    warm friends.

    Synonyms:
    close, friendly
  8. cordial or hearty.

    a warm welcome.

    Synonyms:
    fervent
    Antonyms:
    aloof, unfriendly
  9. heated, irritated, or angry.

    to become warm when contradicted.

    Synonyms:
    furious, irate, vexed, annoyed
  10. animated, lively, brisk, or vigorous.

    a warm debate.

    Synonyms:
    vehement
    Antonyms:
    boring, lethargic
  11. strong or fresh.

    a warm scent.

  12. close to something sought, as in a game.

  13. uncomfortable or unpleasant.

    His opponents made things so warm that he decided to quit.

  14. British Informal. well off; in easy circumstances.


verb (used with object)

  • warms,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • warmed,
    past participle,  past
  • warming
    present participle
  1. to make warm; heat (often followed byup ).

    to warm one's hands; to warm up a room.

  2. to heat or cook (something) for reuse, as leftovers (usually followed by over orup ).

    to warm up yesterday's stew.

  3. to excite enthusiasm, ardor, cheerfulness, or vitality in (someone).

    The wine soon warmed the company.

    Synonyms:
    arouse, rouse, stir, waken, excite, animate
  4. to inspire with kindly feeling; affect with lively pleasure.

    It warms my soul to hear you say that.

  5. 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)

  • warms,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • warmed,
    past participle,  past
  • warming
    present participle
  1. to become warm or warmer (often followed byup ).

    The room will warm up when the fire gets going.

  2. to become ardent, enthusiastic, animated, etc. (often followed by up orto ).

    The speaker quickly warmed to her subject.

  3. to grow kindly, friendly, or sympathetically disposed (often followed by to ortoward ).

    My heart warms toward him.

noun

  1. Informal. a warming.

    Sit by the fire and have a nice warm.

verb phrase

  1. warm down. see warm-down.

  2. warm up. see warmup.

idioms

  1. warm the bench, to serve as a substitute who rarely plays in a game.

    The young outfielder warmed the bench for the Yankees last season.

warm British  
/ wɔːm /

adjective

  1. characterized by or having a moderate degree of heat; moderately hot

  2. maintaining or imparting heat

    a warm coat

  3. having or showing ready affection, kindliness, etc

    a warm personality

  4. lively, vigorous, or passionate

    a warm debate

  5. cordial or enthusiastic; ardent

    warm support

  6. quickly or easily aroused

    a warm temper

  7. (of colours) predominantly red or yellow in tone

  8. (of a scent, trail, etc) recently made; strong

  9. near to finding a hidden object or discovering or guessing facts, as in children's games

  10. informal uncomfortable or disagreeable, esp because of the proximity of danger

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (sometimes foll by up) to raise or be raised in temperature; make or become warm or warmer

  2. to make or become excited, enthusiastic, etc (about)

    he warmed to the idea of buying a new car

  3. to feel affection, kindness, etc (for someone)

    I warmed to her mother from the start

  4. (tr) to give a caning to

    I'll warm you in a minute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. informal a warm place or area

    come into the warm

  2. informal the act or an instance of warming or being warmed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
warm More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing warm


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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

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:

Forecasters know that the conditions are ripe for storms to form, with warm humid air across the UK interacting with a zone of colder air pushing in from the west, higher in the atmosphere.

From BBC Aug. 25, 2026

One example is Aspergillus niger, a fungus that commonly grows in warm, humid environments such as bathrooms and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

From Science Daily Aug. 25, 2026

Then comes a bevy of scientific instruments, a small nuclear engine, and shiny orange foam to keep the instruments warm in space.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 22, 2026

The afternoon is forecast to be warm, with scattered fair-weather cloud across southern and central parts of the country, and only a little more cloud forecast for northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

From BBC Aug. 22, 2026

“I don’t remember all the details…” I mutter as my face grows warm with embarrassment.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

The phonebooth-sized machine, where jets of chilled air ensure ice-cold comfort, only launched this year but has proved popular in a country that seems to be getting inexorably warmer.

From Barron's Aug. 25, 2026

That means the warmer, stickier coastal conditions will probably stick around through the fall, and probably the first half of winter, he said.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 24, 2026

Further ahead, some computer models are hinting at higher pressure building into the second week of September which may push warmer air towards the UK again.

From BBC Aug. 24, 2026

With more blue light removed, the warmer colors that remain become much more noticeable.

From Science Daily Aug. 20, 2026

Her skin appears warmer, her hair softly curled, and her hat bears no resemblance to the distinctive silk top hat, but he would know her face anywhere.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

By that metric, it’s been the warmest summer on record in Torrance, and the third-warmest at LAX, he said.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 24, 2026

As a result, scientists expect 2027 to become the warmest year on record globally, while 2026 is expected to become the second-warmest.

From Barron's Aug. 10, 2026

Even so, both years remained the two warmest since instrumental records began.

From Science Daily Aug. 1, 2026

By the same measure, England looks on course for its joint warmest July and Northern Ireland its third warmest.

From BBC Jul. 31, 2026

That’s why me and Joey were the warmest kids at Clark Elementary School.

From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Research has shown that roughly half the decline in the river’s flow is because of higher temperatures, and for each 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit the region warms, the flow is likely to decrease about 9%.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 18, 2026

Instead, its stability depends partly on how quickly the planet warms.

From Science Daily Aug. 14, 2026

It is not just the mosquito experts who have a role to play in preventing mosquito-borne disease outbreaks as the climate warms and the insects spread across more of the U.S.

From Slate Aug. 4, 2026

Since April, in England and Wales the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has offered £2,500 towards a reversible air-air heat pump: a machine that warms a home in winter and cools it in summer.

From BBC Jul. 29, 2026

My body warms, like I just drank a quart of hot cocoa.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

The Arctic has warmed more than three times faster than the global average over the past 40 years, making it one of the most sensitive regions on Earth to climate change.

From Science Daily Aug. 18, 2026

Fans consolidated in the right field stands as Ohtani warmed up by throwing a weighted plyo ball against the back wall of the visitor’s bullpen and then returned to the outfield to play catch.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 9, 2026

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

The new format, expanding team participation from 32 to 48, has brought to center stage smaller, underdog countries that have outperformed expectations, produced unexpected heroes and warmed our collective hearts.

From Salon Jul. 18, 2026

“You made acquaintance with my son, sir,” said the old man, in his chirping way, while he warmed his hands at the blaze, “at his office, I expect?”

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

The United States on Monday removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, rescinding a decades-old designation that came with severe economic restrictions and marking another step in warming ties between the countries.

From Barron's Aug. 24, 2026

Start warming up the bus to Sacramento for Sierra Canyon.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 23, 2026

"But making the route commercially viable would require further warming, putting the policy at odds with efforts to combat climate change."

From Barron's Aug. 22, 2026

Steve Chalke of Oasis Academy suggested there needs to be a national plan with clear guidance for schools facing increasingly hot conditions in our warming climate.

From BBC Aug. 22, 2026

Maybe they all just needed more warming up.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

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