sweat

1 of 2

verb

ˈswet 

sweat or sweated; sweating

intransitive verb

1

a

: to excrete moisture in visible quantities through the openings of the sweat glands : perspire

b

: to labor or exert oneself so as to cause perspiration

2

a

: to emit or exude moisture

cheese sweats in ripening

b

: to gather surface moisture in beads as a result of condensation

stones sweat at night

c(1)

: ferment

(2)

: putrefy

3

: to undergo anxiety or mental or emotional distress

sweat through final exams

4

: to become exuded through pores or a porous surface : ooze

transitive verb

1

: to emit or seem to emit from pores : exude

2

: to manipulate or produce by hard work or drudgery

3

: to get rid of or lose (weight) by or as if by sweating or being sweated

4

: to make wet with perspiration

5

a

: to cause to excrete moisture from the skin

b

: to drive hard : overwork

c

: to exact work from at low wages and under unfair or unhealthful conditions

d

slang : to give the third degree to

6

: to cause to exude or lose moisture

especially : to subject (something, such as tobacco leaves) to fermentation

7

a

: to extract something valuable from by unfair or dishonest means : fleece

b

: to remove particles of metal from (a coin) by abrasion

8

a

: to heat (something, such as solder) so as to melt and cause to run especially between surfaces to unite them

also : to unite by such means

sweat a pipe joint

b

: to heat so as to extract an easily fusible constituent

sweat bismuth ore

c

: to sauté in a covered vessel until natural juices are exuded

9

slang : to worry about

doesn't sweat the small stuff

—Barry McDermott

sweat

2 of 2

noun

1

: hard work : drudgery

2

: the fluid excreted from the sweat glands of the skin : perspiration

3

: moisture issuing from or gathering in drops on a surface

4

a

: the condition of one sweating or sweated

b

: a spell of sweating

5

: a state of anxiety or impatience

6

sweats plural

a

: sweat suit

b

: sweatpants

Phrases

sweat blood

: to work or worry intensely

in preparing speeches each sweats blood in his own way

—Stewart Cockburn

no sweat

slang

: with little or no difficulty : easily

also : easy

—often used interjectionally

Synonyms

Verb

• bang away
• beaver (away)
• dig (away)
• drudge
• endeavor
• fag
• grub
• hump
• hustle
• labor
• moil
• peg (away)
• plod
• plow
• plug
• slave
• slog
• strain
• strive
• struggle
• toil
• travail
• tug
• work

Noun

• effort
• elbow grease
• exertion
• expenditure
• labor
• pains
• trouble
• while
• work

Examples of sweat in a Sentence

Verb

He sweats a lot when he exercises.

They sweated and saved so their children could go to college.

We'll let them sweat a while longer.

We'll let them sweat it out for a while longer.

“The car won't start—what are we going to do?” “Don't sweat it. I know all about fixing cars.”

Noun

We were drenched in sweat after the workout.

The runners were dripping with sweat.

Her forehead was covered with beads of sweat.

It took a lot of sweat and toil to build the house.

We helped them not with money but with our blood and sweat.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In older bodies, those systems often become less effective: Older people sweat less, and their hearts can't pump as hard, restricting their ability to move blood to their skin and cool down. —Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 6 Dec. 2024

Pair them with casual pants, including leggings, sweats, and jeans. —Taylor Jean Stephan, People.com, 1 Dec. 2024

Noun

Forensic investigators at a police lab in Queens will go through the contents of the bag slowly and deliberately, examining not only the contents but the bag itself, which may contain sweat or other evidence connected to the shooter, the official said. —Elise Hammond, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024

Stale beer, sweat, and (often) despair linger in the air, but the beers are cheap and the company is largely non-judgmental. —Bychris Morris, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English sweten, from Old English swǣtan, from swāt sweat; akin to Old High German sweiz sweat, Latin sudare to sweat, Greek hidrōs sweat

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sweat

• bathed in sweat
• break a sweat
• break into a sweat
• break out in a sweat
• break sweat
• by the sweat of one's brow
• cold sweat
• eccrine sweat gland
• flop sweat
• get in a sweat
• in a sweat
• no sweat
• sweat bee
• sweat bullets
• sweat equity
• sweat gland
• sweat it
• sweat it out
• sweat like a pig
• sweat lodge
• sweat off
• sweat out
• sweat over
• sweat suit
• sweat test
• sweat the details
• sweat the small stuff
• work up a sweat

Kids Definition

sweat

1 of 2 verb

ˈswet 

sweat or sweated; sweating

1

: to give off salty moisture through the pores of the skin : perspire

2

: to give off or cause to give off moisture

3

: to collect drops of moisture on the surface

a pitcher of ice water sweats on a hot day

4

a

: to undergo anxiety or stress

sweated through the test

b

slang : to worry about

5

: to get rid of or lose by perspiring

sweat off weight

6

: to work very hard

sweat

2 of 2 noun

1

: hard work

2

: moisture coming from the sweat glands of the skin : perspiration

3

: moisture gathering in drops on a surface

Medical Definition

sweat

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈswet 

sweat or sweated; sweating

: to excrete moisture in visible quantities through the opening of the sweat glands : perspire

sweat

2 of 2 noun

1

: the fluid excreted from the sweat glands of the skin : perspiration

2

: abnormally profuse sweating

—often used in plural

soaking sweats

sweaty

-ē 

adjective

sweatier; sweatiest