warm
/wɔːm
/adjective
1Of or at a fairly or comfortably high temperature: a warm September evening [as complement]: I walked quickly to keep warm...
- The sun remained out for the entire day and it was fairly warm, reaching a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius.
- The temperature is a warm, but comfortable; 25°C outside and there's not a cloud in the sky.
- One of the paramedics told the other one to get a blanket for Justin so that his body temperature would stay fairly warm.
Synonyms
hot, warming;
cosy, snug, comfortable, homely, mellow
informal comfy, toasty, snuggly
balmy, summery, sultry, hot, mild, temperate, pleasant, agreeable;
sunny, bright, fine
heated, tepid, lukewarm;
French chambré
1.1(Of clothes or coverings) made of a material that helps the body to retain heat: a warm winter coat...
- Other slaves ‘even learned to dye the wool so that we could have warm clothes in the winter’.
- The dark blue sweater was still warm from Jim's body heat and felt good against the night's chill.
- Kea stood behind Gin as she sorted through her clothes to find a warm jacket.
Synonyms
thick, chunky, thermal, winter, woolly
1.2(Of a soil) quick to absorb heat or retaining heat.Other species of bulbs are perfectly suited for the open, sunny habitat and dry, warm soil of rock gardens....
- Mulching once the soil is warm is very useful in conserving soil moisture.
- With my warm soil, the peas grew well, even under thick mulches of newspapers weighted down by horse bedding.
2Having or showing enthusiasm, affection, or kindness: they exchanged warm, friendly smiles a warm welcome...
- On behalf of himself and his family who received such a warm welcome, your kindness and generosity will be gratefully remembered.
- They said they were overwhelmed by the warm welcome and kindness received from local people.
- It is one of the most homely places in town where a warm welcome and friendly smile awaits all visitors.
Synonyms
friendly, comradely, affable, amiable, genial, cordial, kindly, kind, pleasant, sympathetic, affectionate, warm-hearted, good-natured, loving, tender, fond;
welcoming, hospitable, liberal;
caring, benevolent, benign, fatherly, motherly, paternal, maternal, comforting, charitable, solicitous;
sincere, genuine, earnest, wholehearted, heartfelt, enthusiastic, eager, hearty
2.1 archaic Characterized by lively or heated disagreement: a warm debate arose
2.2 archaic Sexually explicit or titillating: if there is anything a little too warm in the play, it can easily be left out
3(Of a colour) containing red, yellow, or orange tones: her fair colouring suited soft, warm shades...
- The walls, adjustable lighting and curtains are all in warm colour tones to ease anxiety.
- There are also a range of hybrids in warm yellow and orange tones.
- In the midst of winter, nature provides us with warm colours of orange and reds to give the impression of warmth.
4(Of a scent or trail) fresh; strong.Try orange or clove to get a rich, warm scent and lavender for a light, fresh, spring-like aroma....
- I smell the warm aroma of delicious fresh dung seeping through the heap.
- The flavour varies according to species or cultivar, but is generally of a sharp and bittersweet taste with a strong and warm aroma.
4.1 [predicative] informal (Especially in children’s games) close to discovering something or guessing the correct answer: we’re getting warmer, sir
Synonyms
close, near, about to make a discovery, on the brink of making a discovery
informal hot
verb
1Make or become warm: [with object]: I stamped my feet to warm them up figurative the film warmed our hearts [no object]: it’s a bit chilly in here, but it’ll soon warm up...
- As the oceans and ground warm up, they warm the air next to them, and this air warms the air a little higher up and so on.
- But all that aside, I think this film warmed my heart more than anything I've seen in a long time.
- As it stands, it's a flawed but still engaging film that should warm the hearts of more adventurous filmgoers.
Synonyms
heat (up), make/become warm, make/become hot, raise the temperature of, increase in temperature, thaw (out), melt, take the chill off;
reheat, cook;
North American warm over
informal hot (up), zap
1.1 [with object] informal Spank (someone’s buttocks): I’ll warm your bum if you don’t come here this instant
noun
1 (the warm) A warm place or area: stay in the warm, I’ve made up the fire for you...
- Apart from a quick dash in the morning to put the trash out by the gate and another this evening to grab beer from the fridge in the garage, we stayed home in the warm.
- Harry and Dolly seemed perfectly happy to stay home in the warm.
- All I really wanted to do was stay at home in the warm!
1.1 [in singular] An act of warming something or oneself: he had a cup of tea and a warm by the kitchen range
2 short for British warm.
Phrases
warm fuzzy (or warm and fuzzy)
(as) warm as toast
Phrasal verbs
warm down
warm to/towards (or warm up to/towards)
warm up
warm something up (or over)
Derivatives
warmish
- I splashed along in the warmish Tasman Sea and just let the sea breeze blow through my soul for a while. Very healing.
- It's a bad time to visit unless you enjoy the pyrotechnics of lightning and floods of warmish soupy rain, plus the constant threat of demonic cyclones.
- A time of heavy coins and horse manure, warmish beer, a scandalous flash of ankle.
warmness
- These discriminations account for the intangible awareness of mood, and they define the greenness of green and the warmness of warmth.
- Physically and mentally exhausted, I sat down in the sand, the warmness comforting me.
- The warmness started in my chest and flowed right down to my toes.
Origin
Old English wearm (adjective), werman, wearmian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German warm, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin formus 'warm' and Greek thermos 'hot'.
Warm is an Old English word but can be traced right back to a root that was also the source of Greek thermos ‘hot’, which gave us thermometer (mid 17th century), thermostat (mid 19th century), and the Thermos flask (early 20th century). Cold hands, warm heart is a proverb first found in the early 20th century.