warm
- 01 A1 Beginner
adj.having a pleasant heat that is not too hot.
adj.characterized by a moderate degree of heat, typically perceived as comfortable or pleasant.
Simple“It was a warm spring day, so we decided to have a picnic in the park.”
In context“The baker checked the dough to ensure the water was warm enough to activate the yeast without killing it.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
adj.friendly, kind, and showing that you like someone.
adj.demonstrating affection, kindness, or cordiality in interpersonal interactions.
Simple“The hotel staff gave us a very warm welcome when we arrived.”
In context“Despite their professional rivalry, the two scientists maintained a warm relationship and frequently exchanged data.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
adj.describing colors like red, orange, and yellow.
adj.referring to hues in the red, orange, and yellow part of the visible spectrum, often associated with heat.
Simple“She chose warm colors for the living room to make it feel cozy.”
In context“The artist used a palette of warm tones to capture the late afternoon sunlight hitting the sandstone cliffs.”
- 04 A2 Elementary
v.to make something warm or to become warm.
v.to increase the temperature of an object or environment; functions both transitively and intransitively.
Simple“You can warm the soup on the stove for a few minutes.”
In context“As the sun rose higher, the dark pavement began to warm, radiating heat back into the morning air.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to start to like someone or something more than before.
v.to become more enthusiastic about or well-disposed toward a person or idea over time; often used with 'to'.
Simple“I didn't like the new manager at first, but I'm starting to warm to him.”
In context“The public was initially skeptical of the tax reform, but they began to warm to the proposal once the benefits were explained.”
UsageUsually takes the preposition 'to'.
Synonymssoftenrelent - 06 C1 Advanced
v.to prepare a system or email account so it is ready to work well.
v.to prepopulate a cache or establish a sender reputation for an email domain to ensure optimal performance.
Simple“We need to warm the new email domain before sending the big newsletter.”
In context“Engineers spent the weekend warming the cache to ensure the system could handle the anticipated surge in traffic during the product launch.”
- 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the act of making something warm or the feeling of heat.
n.the state of being warmed or the process of applying heat; often used colloquially.
Simple“Come sit by the fire and have a quick warm before you go back outside.”
In context“After hours of hiking through the snow, the hikers enjoyed a good warm by the hearth of the mountain cabin.”
Usage warm water · warm air
From Middle English warm, werm, from Old English wearm, from Proto-West Germanic warm, from Proto-Germanic warmaz, either from Proto-Indo-European wór-mo-s, from wer- (“to burn”), or Proto-Indo-European gʷʰor-mo-s, from the root gʷʰer- (“warm, hot”). Cognate with West Frisian waarm, Saterland Frisian woorm, Dutch warm, German warm, Swedish varm, Icelandic varmur, Ancient Greek θερμός (thermós) (in which case perhaps a distant doublet of thermos), Latin formus, Sanskrit घर्म (gharmá), or alternatively from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to burn”), related to Hittite 𒉿𒊏𒀀𒉌 (warāni, “to burn”), Armenian վառել (vaṙel, “to burn, heat, warm”), Old Church Slavonic варити (variti, “to cook, boil”).
From Middle English warmen, wermen, wyrmen, from Old English wierman (“to make warm”) and wearmian (“to become warm”), from Proto-West Germanic warmijan and warmōn. Cognate with Dutch warmen, German wärmen, Swedish värma.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.