warm

SayWORM/wɔɹm/UK/wɔːm/

Adjectivewarmer, warmest

Verbwarms, warming, warmed

Noun pluralwarms

18 meanings of warm

Practice

1
pleasantly hotadjective
Slightly hot in a way that often feels nice, not too cold and not too hot.
Like a sunny spring day that feels nice on your skin.
The water in the pool was warm and comfortable.
The bread was still warm when she took a slice.
UsageSay keep warm or stay warm on a cold day.
Similarbalmy, mild, toasty, heated, hot
Oppositecold, cool, chilly
Note
2
friendlyadjective
Friendly and kind, in a way that shows you care about someone.
Like a friendly hug that makes you feel cared for.
She gave me a warm smile when I walked in.
They are warm people who make everyone feel welcome.
UsageSay a warm welcome or a warm smile.
Similarfriendly, affectionate, cordial, welcoming, kind
Oppositecold, unfriendly, frosty, aloof
3
verbtransitive
To make something warmer or keep it warm, or to get warmer.
Like a heater that makes a cold room cozy.
Please warm the soup before serving it.
She warmed her hands by the fire.
UsageSay warm up the soup, or warm your hands.
Similarheat
Oppositecool, chill
Note
4
adjectivefiguratively
Giving a feeling of comfort, calm, and pleasantness.
Like a cozy blanket that makes everything feel calm.
The story had a warm, gentle ending that made me smile.
Their home has a warm feeling that puts guests at ease.
Similarcozy, inviting, welcoming, comforting
Oppositecold, sterile, bleak
5
nouncolloquialcountable
The act of heating something, or the feeling of being heated up.
Like the cozy feeling of sitting near a heater.
Come in from the cold and have a warm by the fire.
Give the pie a quick warm in the oven before serving.
UsageSay have a warm by the fire, or give soup a warm.
Note
6
color (red to yellow)adjective
Describing colors like red, orange, and yellow that look like fire or sunlight.
Like the colors you see in a campfire or a sunset.
The room was painted in warm colors like orange and red.
She chose a warm yellow for the kitchen walls.
UsageSay warm colors, like red and orange. The opposite is cool.
Oppositecool
7
touch the heartverbtransitive
To make someone feel happy and cared for inside.
Like a kind word that makes your heart feel lighter.
Her kind words warmed me after a hard day.
Seeing the children play will warm your heart.
UsageOften warm your heart.
Similarcheer, comfort, hearten, touch
8
verbintransitive
To slowly start liking someone or something more or feel more excited about it, or make someone feel this way.
Like slowly starting to enjoy a food you disliked at first.
She slowly began to warm to her new coworkers.
The crowd warmed to the young speaker as he went on.
UsageSay you warm to someone, or warm up to them.
Note

Less common meanings

9
nearly rightadjectivecolloquial
Close to finding or guessing the right thing.
Like being close to a hidden prize in a guessing game.
You're getting warm, because the toy is near the door.
Your guess is warm, but not quite right yet.
UsageSay you're getting warmer when someone is close to the answer.
Similarclose
Oppositecold
Note
10
fresh (trail)adjective
Fresh and still easy to follow, of a smell or trail left behind.
Like fresh footprints in snow that are easy to follow.
The dogs found a warm trail leading into the woods.
The scent was still warm, so the hunters moved quickly.
Similarfresh, hot, recent
Oppositecold, stale
11
get excitedverbtransitive
To make someone feel excited or full of eager interest in something.
Like blowing on a tiny flame until it grows bigger.
Fun music can warm a quiet crowd and get them dancing.
The opening band warmed the crowd for the main show.
UsageOften warm up the crowd.
12
passionateadjectivearchaic
Full of strong, eager feeling about a cause or belief.
Like a fire burning strong inside someone.
He was a warm supporter of the new cause.
Their warm enthusiasm for reform never faded.
Note
13
spankverbcolloquialtransitive
To hit or spank someone, often as a punishment.
Mom said she would warm his backside if he lied again.
She warmed the boy's backside for breaking the window.
Similarspank, thrash, beat, whip, tan
Note
14
adjectivearchaic
Having plenty of money and living comfortably.
You shall have a draught upon him, payable at sight: and let me tell you he is as warm a man as any within five miles round him.
1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], The Vicar of WakefieldHere, warm means rich, well off with plenty of money.
Mrs. and the Miss Cathcarts began to be considered as people of some consequence in the circle in which they moved, while he gradually obtained in the city the name of a warm man.
1791, Charlotte Smith, Celestina
Note
15
adjectivearchaic
Needing hard, tiring effort to get done.
The circular iron platform over there is used in the task of tyring the wheels, a warm job, too, by the way.
1929, The Listener, numbers 41-50Here, warm means hard and tiring, a job that takes great effort.
Note
16
verb
To fill a cache with data ahead of time so it is ready when people need it.
17
verb
To send email slowly from a new address so that mail systems start to trust it.
18
verbcolloquial
To tell someone off angrily with harsh words.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of warm apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–2, 4, 6, 9–10, 12, 14–15

From Old English "wearm," from old Germanic words meaning warm. It goes back to an ancient root meaning to burn or to be hot.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English warm descends from Old English wearm. en.wiktionary.org
The Old English word descends from earlier Germanic words meaning warm. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 3, 5, 7–8, 11, 13

Old English had two verbs. Wierman meant "to make warm," and wearmian meant "to become warm." This word comes from them.