sweat

sweat

verb

Definition of SWEAT

1

to devote serious and sustained effort <spent the afternoon sweating over her tax returns>

Synonyms bang away, beaver (away), dig (away), drudge, endeavor, fag, grub, hump, hustle, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slave, slog, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, 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

2

to experience concern or anxiety <don't sweat over getting the application in a day late, as it probably doesn't matter>

Synonyms bother, fear, fret, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, trouble

Related Words agonize; long, pine, yearn; chafe; despair

Near Antonyms accept; abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

3

to work hard and long <after sweating so hard to build the business out of nothing, we lost everything>to flow forth slowly through small openings <the oil coat may sweat through this varnish>

Synonyms bleed, ooze, percolate, seep, strain, sweat, transude, weep

Related Words dribble, drip, trickle; discharge, emit, give off, vent; emanate, flow, spring

Near Antonyms flood, gush, pour, stream, surge

4

to flow forth slowly through small openings <the oil coat may sweat through this varnish>

Synonyms bleed, ooze, percolate, seep, strain, sweat, transude, weep

Related Words dribble, drip, trickle; discharge, emit, give off, vent; emanate, flow, spring

Near Antonyms flood, gush, pour, stream, surge

slang

to put a series of questions to <the narcotics squad tried sweating the mule, but he was genuinely clueless about the inner workings of the drug operation>

Synonyms catechize, grill, interrogate, pump, query, question, quiz, sweat [slang]

Related Words debrief; cross-examine, cross-question; annoy, harass, hound, pester; canvass (also canvas), poll