swelter

1 of 2

verb

swel·​ter ˈswel-tər 

sweltered; sweltering ˈswel-t(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to suffer, sweat, or be faint from heat

2

: to become exceedingly hot

in summer, the place swelters

transitive verb

1

: to oppress with heat

2

archaic : exude

sweltered venom

—William Shakespeare

swelter

2 of 2

noun

1

: a state of oppressive heat

2

: welter

3

: an excited or overwrought state of mind : sweat

in a swelter

Synonyms

Noun

• dither
• fluster
• fret
• fuss
• huff
• lather
• pother
• stew
• sweat
• swivet
• tizzy
• twitter

Examples of swelter in a Sentence

Verb

We were sweltering in the summer heat.

Noun

the set designer spent the entire week before opening night in a swelter

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Sacramento residents won’t be the only ones dealing with sweltering temperatures. —Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 30 May 2024

Loose, flowy garments are usually a better choice on sweltering days. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 28 May 2024

Noun

But the swelter of the room ceased to exist when Griffiths stood up to read. —Kaitlyn Greenidge, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 Aug. 2023

Although the temperature on the day of the 1963 March may have been lower than Saturday’s, many factors may have contributed to the sense of swelter recalled by participants in the original event. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English sweltren, frequentative of swelten to die, be overcome by heat, from Old English sweltan to die; akin to Goth swiltan to die

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

swelter

1 of 2 verb

swel·​ter ˈswel-tər 

sweltered; sweltering -t(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to suffer, sweat, or be faint from heat

2

: to overcome with heat

swelter

2 of 2 noun

: a state of great heat