sweat

[ swet ]

verb (used without object)

, sweat or sweat·ed, sweat·ing.

1. to perspire, especially freely or profusely.
2. to exude moisture, as green plants piled in a heap or cheese.
3. to gather moisture from the surrounding air by condensation.
4. (of moisture or liquid) to ooze or be exuded.
5. Informal. to work hard.
6. Informal. to experience distress, as from anxiety.
7. (of tobacco) to ferment.

verb (used with object)

, sweat or sweat·ed, sweat·ing.

1. to excrete (perspiration, moisture, etc.) through the pores of the skin.
2. to exude in drops or small particles:

   The drying figs sweat tiny drops of moisture.

3. to send forth or get rid of with or like perspiration (often followed by out or off ).
4. to wet or stain with perspiration.
5. to cause (a person, a horse, etc.) to perspire.
6. to cause to exude moisture, especially as a step in an industrial drying process:

   to sweat wood.

7. to earn, produce, or obtain (a result, promotion, compliment, etc.) by hard work.
8. to cause to lose (weight) as by perspiring or hard work:

   The hard week's work sweated five pounds off him.

9. to cause, force, or bring pressure on (a person, an animal, etc.) to work hard.
10. to employ (workers) at low wages, for long hours, or under other unfavorable conditions.
11. to labor with meticulous care over:

    The manufacturer of this beautiful car has really sweated the details.

12. Slang.
    1. to obtain or extort (money) from someone.
    2. to extort money from; fleece.
13. Slang. to subject to severe questioning; give the third degree to.
14. Metallurgy.
    1. to heat (an alloy) in order to remove a constituent melting at a lower temperature than the alloy as a whole.
    2. to heat (solder or the like) to melting.
    3. to join (metal objects) by heating and pressing together, usually with solder.
15. to remove bits of metal from (gold coins) by shaking them against one another, as in a bag. Compare clip ¹( def 4 ).
16. to cause (tobacco or cocoa) to ferment.

noun

1. the process of sweating or perspiring.
2. that which is secreted from sweat glands; perspiration.
3. a state or a period of sweating.
4. hard work.
5. Informal. a state of anxiety or impatience.
6. a process of inducing sweating or perspiration, or of being sweated, as in medical treatment.
7. moisture exuded from something or gathered on a surface.
8. an exuding of moisture, as by a substance.
9. an inducing of such exudation, as in some industrial process.
10. a run given to a horse for exercise, as before a race.
11. sweats, Informal. sweatpants, sweatshirts, sweat suits, or the like.

adjective

1. Informal.
   1. (of clothes) made to be worn for exercise, sports, or other physical activity.
   2. made of the absorbent fabric used for such clothes:

      sweat dresses.

   3. of, for, or associated with such clothes:

      the sweat look in sportswear.

verb phrase

1. Informal.
   1. to await anxiously the outcome of; endure apprehensively:

      The accused sweated out the jury's deliberation.

   2. to work arduously at or toward:

      The director sweated out a camera angle with the cinematographer.

sweat

/ swɛt /

noun

1. the secretion from the sweat glands, esp when profuse and visible, as during strenuous activity, from excessive heat, etc; commonly also called perspiration sudatorysudorific
2. the act or process of secreting this fluid
3. the act of inducing the exudation of moisture
4. drops of moisture given forth or gathered on the surface of something
5. informal.
   a state or condition of worry or eagerness (esp in the phrase in a sweat )
6. slang.
   drudgery or hard labour

   mowing lawns is a real sweat!

7. an exercise gallop given to a horse, esp on the day of a race
8. slang.
   a soldier, esp one who is old and experienced
9. no sweat! slang.
   interjection an expression suggesting that something can be done without problems or difficulty

verb

1. to secrete (sweat) through the pores of the skin, esp profusely
2. tr to make wet or stain with sweat
3. to give forth or cause to give forth (moisture) in droplets

   a sweating cheese

   the maple sweats sap

4. intr to collect and condense moisture on an outer surface

   a glass of beer sweating in the sun

5. intr (of a liquid) to pass through a porous surface in droplets
6. (of tobacco leaves, cut and dried hay, etc) to exude moisture and, sometimes, begin to ferment or to cause (tobacco leaves, etc) to exude moisture
7. tr to heat (food, esp vegetables) slowly in butter in a tightly closed saucepan
8. tr to join (pieces of metal) by pressing together and heating
9. tr to heat (solder) until it melts
10. tr to heat (a partially fused metal) to extract an easily fusible constituent
11. to shake together (coins, esp gold coins) so as to remove particles for illegal use
12. informal.
    to suffer anxiety, impatience, or distress
13. informal.
    to overwork or be overworked
14. informal.
    tr to employ at very low wages and under bad conditions
15. informal.
    tr to extort, esp by torture

    to sweat information out of a captive

16. informal.
    intr to suffer punishment

    you'll sweat for this!

17. sweat blood informal.
    1. to work very hard
    2. to be filled with anxiety or impatience

sweat

/ swĕt /

1. The salty liquid given off by sweat glands in the skin of mammals. As sweat evaporates, the skin cools, causing a reduction in body heat.

Derived Forms

• ˈsweatless, adjective

Other Words From

• sweatless adjective
• non·sweating adjective
• un·sweating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweat¹

First recorded before 900; 1970–75 sweat fordef 6; (verb) Middle English sweten, Old English swǣtan “to sweat,” derivative of swāt (noun); (noun) Middle English swet, sweet, influenced by the verb, cognate with Dutch zweet, German Schweiss, Old Norse sveiti; akin to Sanskrit svéda-, Latin sūdor, Greek hidrṓs

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweat¹

Old English swætan to sweat, from swāt sweat; related to Old Saxon swēt, Old Norse sveiti, Old High German sweiz, Latin sūdor, Sanskrit svedas

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. no sweat, Informal. with no difficulty or problem.
2. sweat blood, Informal.
   1. to be under a strain; work strenuously.
   2. to wait anxiously; worry:

      He was sweating blood while his friend was being questioned by the police.

3. sweat bullets, Informal.
   1. to sweat profusely.
   2. to be apprehensive; worry.
4. sweat it, Informal.
   1. to wait anxiously; endure the best way one can:

      There was no news of survivors, so all we could do was sweat it.

   2. to worry; be apprehensive:

      You'll do OK, so don't sweat it.

More idioms and phrases containing sweat

• by the sweat of one's brow
• in a cold sweat
• no problem (sweat)

Synonym Study

See perspiration.

Example Sentences

“We were drenched in sweat the entire time. There was never enough sweat for Tim. The lived-in clothing, the ashtrays — it all creates a physical reality.”

From Los Angeles Times

And in terms of a group dynamic, she is someone who absolutely does not break a sweat when sharing her feelings and opinions, and that is the hallmark of a great housewife.”

From Los Angeles Times

After the Democrats returned to making the election a referendum on Trump and his awfulness, Trump bulldozed them without breaking a sweat.

From Salon

The guidance is clear that HRT is the go-to treatment option for hot flushes and night sweats caused by the menopause.

From BBC

It's only because the nation is too sexist and racist still to deserve the sweat this crowd — racially diverse and majority female — put into the fight.

From Salon

Related Words

• perspiration
• steam