Warmer-upper

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An act of warming up (preparing for an activity).

    "The cadence exercises which follow are “warmer-uppers.” They are especially planned to prime your heart, muscles, and circulatory system for a step-up in activity. Gradually, easily, they get your body set for the big job ahead."

  2. 2
    A drink that warms one up.

    "I seldom drink brandy as brandy, but I have two favorite warmer-uppers for bitter weather, and was making them both for guests last week when school vacation sehedules^([sic]) permitted us a few extra days in the country."

  3. 3
    A worn item that warms one up.

    "Warmer-Uppers for Nippy Nights—UNIVERSAL Pajamas[…]UNIVERSAL Pajamas are real “warmer-uppers” that make ideal gifts."

Example

More examples

"The cadence exercises which follow are “warmer-uppers.” They are especially planned to prime your heart, muscles, and circulatory system for a step-up in activity. Gradually, easily, they get your body set for the big job ahead."

Etymology

From the phrase warm up with -er applied.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.