to become warm or warmer (often followed by up): The room will warm up when the fire gets going.
21.
to become ardent, enthusiastic, animated, etc. (often followed by up or to): The speaker quickly warmed to her subject.
22.
to grow kindly, friendly, or sympathetically disposed (often followed by to or toward): My heart warms toward him.
noun
23.
Informal. a warming: Sit by the fire and have a nice warm.
Verb phrases
24.
warm down, to conclude or follow a period of strenuous physical exercise by walking or gentle stretching.
25.
warm up,
a.
to prepare for a game, sports contest, dance, etc., by moderate exercise or practice beforehand.
b.
to increase in excitement, intensity, violence, etc.: The racial situation was warming up.
c.
to become friendlier or more receptive: No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't warm up to that proposal.
d.
Radioand Television. to entertain (an audience) prior to a broadcast to increase receptiveness.
Idiom
26.
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.
Origin: before 900; (adj.) Middle English werm, warm,Old English wearm; cognate with German warm,Old Norse varmr; (v.) Middle English warmen, wermen,Old English werman, wirman (transitive), wearmian (intransitive), both akin to the adj.; (noun) derivative of the v.
O.E. wyrman "make warm" and wearmian "become warm;" from the root of warm (adj.). Phrase warm the bench is sports jargon first recorded 1907. Warm up (v.) "exercise before an activity" is attested from 1868. In ref. to appliances, motors, etc., attested from 1947. Noun phrase