warm
gb/wˈɔɹm/ us/wˈɔɹm/
A1
English
~ 1500
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A1
property
1
Moderately high in temperature
Having a temperature that feels nice and not cold.
Usage pattern:
[something] is warm
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'warm' with 'hot'; 'warm' is comfortable, while 'hot' can be uncomfortable or too high in temperature.
Synonyms
mild (Slightly warm, often used for weather, less intense than 'warm'.)
|
heated (Deliberately made warm, often by a device.)
Antonyms
cold (Having a low temperature, opposite of warm.)
Collocations
warm clothes
|warm weather
|warm water
|keep warm
|stay warm
Themes
daily life
|weather
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The soup is still warm from the stove.
- It was a warm summer evening.
- Make sure the baby stays warm during the night.
Learner examples
- The tea is warm.
- It is warm today.
- I wear a jacket to stay warm.
adjective
A2
property
2
Friendly and affectionate
Being friendly and kind to people.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is warm
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'warm' in this sense with physical temperature; here it describes feelings, not heat.
Synonyms
friendly (General openness and kindness; similar but more general than 'warm'.)
|
cordial (Polite and friendly, often in formal contexts.)
Antonyms
cold (Emotionally distant or unfriendly.)
Collocations
warm smile
|warm welcome
|warm personality
|warm hug
Themes
emotions
|relationships
Examples
- She gave me a warm smile when I arrived.
- He has a very warm personality.
- We received a warm welcome at the hotel.
Learner examples
- She is a warm person.
- He gave me a warm hug.
- They gave us a warm welcome.
Verb
A2
action
3
Make or become warmer
To make something warmer or to get warmer.
Usage pattern:
to warm [something] (up)
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'heat' when they mean 'warm', even for mild temperature increases.
Synonyms
heat (To make hot; 'warm' suggests a milder increase in temperature.)
Antonyms
cool (To lower the temperature of something.)
Collocations
warm up food
|warm hands
|warm the room
Themes
daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She warmed the bread in the oven.
- The sun warmed my face.
- I need to warm up the milk for the baby.
Learner examples
- I warm my hands by the fire.
- The sun warms the ground.
- Please warm up the soup.
Verb
B1
action
4
Prepare for exercise with light activity
To do easy exercise before harder exercise to get ready.
Usage pattern:
to warm up before [activity]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'warm up' in sports with simply increasing temperature; here it refers to physical preparation.
Synonyms
loosen up (Informal; means to relax muscles before activity.)
Antonyms
cool down (To slow down and stretch after exercise.)
Collocations
warm up exercises
|warm up routine
Themes
sports
|health
Examples
- The team warmed up before the match.
- Always warm up before running to avoid injury.
- She warmed up with some light stretches.
Learner examples
- I warm up before I run.
- We warmed up before the game.
- He warms up with slow jogging.
adjective
B1
property
5
Color tone suggesting heat or comfort
Colors like red, orange, and yellow that feel warm when you look at them.
Synonyms
rich-colored (Strong and deep in color, but not always implying warmth.)
Antonyms
cool-colored (Colors like blue or green that give a cooler impression.)
Collocations
warm colors
|warm tones
Themes
art
|design
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The living room is decorated in warm tones.
- Warm colors can make a room feel cozy.
- She prefers warm shades for her paintings.
Learner examples
- The wall has a warm color.
- I like warm colors in my clothes.
- Warm colors make me happy.
Grammar
Dictionary form
warm
IPA
GB/wˈɔɹm/
US/wˈɔɹm/
Syllables & stress
warm (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (warm)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: warm
- Comparative: warmer
- Superlative: warmest
Verb
- Base: warm
- 3rd Person Singular: warms
- Present Participle: warming
- Past: warmed
Word family
Forms
warms
verb
warming
verb
warmed
verb
warmer
adjective
warmest
adjective
Related words
lukewarm
adjective
heartwarming
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
warmish
adjective
Expressions
give someone a warm welcome
1/ɡˈɪv sˈʌmwˌʌn ə wˈɔɹm wˈɛlkəm/
fixed phrase
Greet someone kindly and enthusiastically
To greet someone in a friendly and happy way when they arrive.
Examples
- They gave us a warm welcome when we arrived at the village.
- The host gave each guest a warm welcome.
warm feelings
1/wˈɔɹm fˈilɪŋz/
fixed phrase
Feelings of kindness or affection
Nice feelings of kindness or love toward someone or something.
Examples
- She has warm feelings toward her old school.
- The movie left me with warm feelings.
warm up
1/wˈɔɹm ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
Prepare for exercise or heat something slightly
To do light exercise before harder exercise, or to make something a little hotter.
Examples
- It's important to warm up before lifting weights.
- I'll warm up some soup for lunch.
warm reception
1/wˈɔɹm ɹɪsˈɛpʃən/
fixed phrase
Friendly greeting or reaction to someone new
A friendly and happy greeting or reaction when someone arrives or starts something new.
Examples
- The new policy got a warm reception from the public.
- The new teacher got a warm reception from her students.
- The singer received a warm reception from her fans.
- His book received a warm reception from critics.