swelter

[ swel-ter ]

verb (used without object)

1. to suffer from oppressive heat.

verb (used with object)

1. to oppress with heat.
2. Archaic. to exude, as venom.

noun

1. a sweltering condition.

swelter

/ ˈswɛltə /

verb

1. intr to suffer under oppressive heat, esp to sweat and feel faint
2. archaic.
   tr to exude (venom)
3. rare.
   tr to cause to suffer under oppressive heat

noun

1. a sweltering condition (esp in the phrase in a swelter )
2. oppressive humid heat

Other Words From

• un·sweltered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of swelter¹

1375–1425; late Middle English swelt ( e ) ren (v.), equivalent to swelt ( en ) to be overcome with heat ( Old English sweltan to die; cognate with Old Norse svelta, Gothic swiltan ) + -eren -er ⁶

Word History and Origins

Origin of swelter¹

C15 swelten, from Old English sweltan to die; related to Old Norse svelta to starve, Old High German swelzan to burn with passion; see sultry

Example Sentences

Los Angeles may be a mecca for hiking, but not necessarily in the depths of summer when it’s too sweltering to hit the trails, even in the morning.

From Los Angeles Times

When podcast producer Ruth Evans and I knocked on his door one sweltering day in rural Wisconsin in August 2023, he sank onto his steps, put his head in his hands and swore.

From BBC

He scored just 68 of his 264 runs in boundaries meaning the rest were taken by running ones, twos and threes in sweltering heat nearing 40C.

From BBC

Farmers in particular rely on migrant laborers to work with livestock and harvest field and orchard produce in sweltering heat.

From Salon

On a recent sweltering Saturday in Phoenix, about 40 Native American leaders and community organizers gathered in an art gallery, where a backdrop had been decorated with posters proclaiming “Native Americans for Harris-Walz.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• broil
• sweat
• wilt