sweat

¹sweat

verb \ˈswet\

sweat or sweat·edsweat·ing

Definition of SWEAT

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 (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 (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 blood

: to work or worry intensely <in preparing speeches each sweats blood in his own way — Stewart Cockburn>

Examples of SWEAT

1. He sweats a lot when he exercises.
2. They sweated and saved so their children could go to college.
3. We'll let them sweat a while longer.
4. We'll let them sweat it out for a while longer.
5. “The car won't start—what are we going to do?” “Don't sweat it. I know all about fixing cars.”

Origin of SWEAT

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: before 12th century

Related to SWEAT

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

Related Words: apply (oneself), buckle (down), dig in, hammer (away), knuckle down, pitch in; attack, drive; essay, try; exercise, exert, overexert, overwork; eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch; trudge, wade

Near Antonyms: break, ease (up), let up, slacken; bum, chill, dally, dillydally, footle, goldbrick, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out; bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind; dabble, doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang, hang about [British], mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

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Rhymes with SWEAT

bet, debt, fret, get, het, jet, let, Lett, met, net, pet, ret, set, stet, Tet, threat, vet, wet, whet, yet