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)
Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025
The mood in the group was light, with Raducanu playing American football, football and cornhole during her warm-ups, and playing spikeball with her team just before going on court.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Marchand was greeted by plenty of fans around the ice during warm-ups and even flicked a puck into the stands toward one group to give them a keepsake.
—Tim Reynolds, Sun Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2025
Participants first had a warm-up session that included walking and jumping to minimize data variability caused by muscle stiffness or unfamiliarity with the equipment.
—New Atlas, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for warm (up)
Noun
The team engaged in warm-ups and individual drills before transitioning into the heart of the scrimmage.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025
The mood in the group was light, with Raducanu playing American football, football and cornhole during her warm-ups, and playing spikeball with her team just before going on court.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Marchand was greeted by plenty of fans around the ice during warm-ups and even flicked a puck into the stands toward one group to give them a keepsake.
—Tim Reynolds, Sun Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2025
Participants first had a warm-up session that included walking and jumping to minimize data variability caused by muscle stiffness or unfamiliarity with the equipment.
—New Atlas, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for warm (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warm (up)
Verb
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The traffic alert was reported Tuesday at 5:02 p.m., and the last update concerning this incident was provided on Tuesday at 5:08 p.m.—
Kansas City Star Bot,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2025
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His lawyers say the charges against him are baseless, and say officials have not provided any evidence to support them.—
Adrian Florido,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Image Lacking indoor plumbing, the family basked in this sauna as a prelude to bathing in the cold lake.—
Julie Lasky,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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At one point, during our game, my mother-in-law said that dominoes could be used to speak to the dead, a comment that had no prelude and which received no verbal response from anyone at the table.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In South Australia, solar, wind and batteries supply about 75% of the state’s electricity, and the goal is 100% by 2027.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Tending the garden: Canada supplies nearly 10% of the U.S. nitrogen fertilizer needs, accounting for 25% of nitrogen fertilizer imports.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While the diving kicked off Thursday, the swimming gets underway with preliminaries on Friday, with the finals for both swimming and diving slated for Saturday.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2025
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Her six-game outburst in the state preliminaries screamed of consistency, with no score lower than 217 and none higher than 269.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Church volunteers, who were accustomed to helping furnish and decorate apartments for new arrivals, now had to help prevent evictions.—
Amy Yurkanin,
ProPublica,
15 Apr. 2025
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For those starting from scratch who are looking to furnish a full patio, snag the matching two-piece set that comes with a three-person sofa and coffee table for 64 percent off, as well as a three-piece version that’s 64 percent off.—
Megan Schaltegger,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The factory is equipped with intelligent systems that streamline production while maintaining standards.—
Lauren Carpenter,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Since not all queries require that level of ongoing analysis, Google has equipped Flash with some tools that can help developers tune it for their use case.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The men, who’d assembled on the moors hours earlier, were armed with muskets, sticks, hatchets, and heavy blacksmith’s hammers.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
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The Michael Monsoor and its two sister ships will be the first American vessels to be armed with hypersonic missiles, which can travel at over five times the speed of sound.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Don't show up and ask someone there to educate you.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
9 Apr. 2025
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The bottom line: The Oregon Health Authority is working to expand peer networks throughout the state, especially in rural communities in the eastern part of the state, to better reach at-risk populations and educate health care providers, while continuing to track its prevalence in the drug supply.—
Meira Gebel,
Axios,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Warm (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warm%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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