Meaning trap
warm up
become friendlier
To start feeling more comfortable and friendly with people, especially after being shy or quiet at first.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To start feeling more comfortable and friendly with people, especially after being shy or quiet at first.
Another meaning of 'warm up' is 'prepare the body'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- It took a while, but she finally warmed up to her new classmates.relationships
- When I meet new people, I usually need some time to warm up before I feel comfortable talking.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: warm up (to/towards someone/something)
WrongHe warmed up with us after a while.
RightHe warmed up to us after a while.
'Warm up TO' people (or just 'warm to') — not 'with'.
Patternwarm up (to/towards someone/something)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Warm up' is the natural verb for someone relaxing and becoming friendlier.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
warm up + toto usto the ideaafter a biteventually
Don't confuse it
'Warm up' is about becoming more open or friendly, not about temperature.
Related
- warm up (prepare the body) — Another meaning of 'warm up' is 'prepare the body'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.