warm

[ wawrm ]

adjective

, warm·er, warm·est.

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, vexed, annoyed, irate

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)

1. to make warm; heat (often followed by up ):

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

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

   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)

1. to become warm or warmer (often followed by up ):

   The room will warm up when the fire gets going.

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

   The speaker quickly warmed to her subject.

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

   My heart warms toward him.

noun

1. Informal. a warming:

   Sit by the fire and have a nice warm.

verb phrase

1. warm-down ( def ).
2. warmup ( def ).

warm

/ 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

verb

1. sometimes foll by up to raise or be raised in temperature; make or become warm or warmer
2. whenintr, often foll by to to make or become excited, enthusiastic, etc (about)

   he warmed to the idea of buying a new car

3. introften foll byto 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

noun

1. informal.
   a warm place or area

   come into the warm

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

Derived Forms

• ˈwarmness, noun
• ˈwarmer, noun
• ˈwarmly, adverb
• ˈwarmish, adjective

Other Words From

• warm·er noun
• warm·ish adjective
• warm·ly adverb
• warm·ness noun
• o·ver·warmed adjective
• pre·warm verb (used with object)
• re·warm verb
• un·warmed adjective
• un·warm·ing adjective
• well-warmed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of warm¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of warm¹

Old English wearm; related to Old Frisian, Old Saxon warm, Old Norse varmr

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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

More idioms and phrases containing warm

• cold hands, warm heart
• look like death (warmed over)

Example Sentences

As the Arctic warms at a faster rate than the rest of the planet, Earth’s overall surface becomes less reflective and thereby increases the absorption of solar radiation.

From Salon

This time, it looks like an Orange County work crew teamed up with a warming planet to deprive a metropolitan area of its best access to nature.

From Los Angeles Times

"We got elected in July and of course nothing had been done, nothing for 18 months apart from warm words."

From BBC

“So-called sanctuary cities and states sound warm and fuzzy, but the protections they offer aren’t for abuelas getting ice cream, they’re for people who entered the country illegally and committed additional crimes.”

From Los Angeles Times

“I always loved warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves,” Hutchings wrote.

From Salon

Related Words

• affectionate
• cheerful
• cordial
• gracious
• happy
• heartfelt
• hearty
• hospitable
• loving
• pleasant
• sincere
• tender
• warmhearted