# warm

/ˈwɔɹm/ (US) · /wˈɔːm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/warm
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. temperature

adjective · CEFR A1

having a pleasant heat that is not too hot.

For teachers: characterized by a moderate degree of heat, typically perceived as comfortable or pleasant.

- It was a warm spring day, so we decided to have a picnic in the park.
- The baker checked the dough to ensure the water was warm enough to activate the yeast without killing it.

### 2. friendly

adjective · CEFR A2

friendly, kind, and showing that you like someone.

For teachers: demonstrating affection, kindness, or cordiality in interpersonal interactions.

- The hotel staff gave us a very warm welcome when we arrived.
- Despite their professional rivalry, the two scientists maintained a warm relationship and frequently exchanged data.

### 3. colors

adjective · CEFR B1

describing colors like red, orange, and yellow.

For teachers: referring to hues in the red, orange, and yellow part of the visible spectrum, often associated with heat.

- She chose warm colors for the living room to make it feel cozy.
- The artist used a palette of warm tones to capture the late afternoon sunlight hitting the sandstone cliffs.

### 4. to heat up

verb · CEFR A2

to make something warm or to become warm.

For teachers: to increase the temperature of an object or environment; functions both transitively and intransitively.

- You can warm the soup on the stove for a few minutes.
- As the sun rose higher, the dark pavement began to warm, radiating heat back into the morning air.

### 5. to start liking

verb · CEFR B2

to start to like someone or something more than before.

For teachers: to become more enthusiastic about or well-disposed toward a person or idea over time; often used with 'to'.

- I didn't like the new manager at first, but I'm starting to warm to him.
- The public was initially skeptical of the tax reform, but they began to warm to the proposal once the benefits were explained.

Usage: Usually takes the preposition 'to'.

### 6. computing/internet

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to prepare a system or email account so it is ready to work well.

For teachers: to prepopulate a cache or establish a sender reputation for an email domain to ensure optimal performance.

- We need to warm the new email domain before sending the big newsletter.
- Engineers spent the weekend warming the cache to ensure the system could handle the anticipated surge in traffic during the product launch.

### 7. a state of heat

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the act of making something warm or the feeling of heat.

For teachers: the state of being warmed or the process of applying heat; often used colloquially.

- Come sit by the fire and have a quick warm before you go back outside.
- After hours of hiking through the snow, the hikers enjoyed a good warm by the hearth of the mountain cabin.

## Examples

- I need to warm my hands by the fire.
- The athletes began to warm up on the track twenty minutes before the race started.
- As the sun began to rise, the morning air started to warm, gradually melting the thin layer of frost that had settled on the valley floor overnight.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.