sweltered; sweltering
ˈswel-t(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to suffer, sweat, or be faint from heat
2
: to become exceedingly hot
in summer, the place swelters
Synonyms
Examples of swelter in a Sentence
Verb
We were sweltering in the summer heat.
Noun
the set designer spent the entire week before opening night in a swelter
Recent Examples on the Web
Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Singapore is rethinking its sweltering urban areas to dampen the effects of climate change.
—Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Yanai doggedly experimented with new fabrics like the popular Heat-Tech range that retains warmth in winter while breathing in sweltering summers.
—Time, 13 Nov. 2023
Setting the story in the sweltering heat of Argentina’s Pampas, Gallardo re-creates the world of ranchers and missionaries from the perspective of the girl, with her adolescent confusion and private sense of guilt.
—Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
The Earth sweltered through its hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured, with a record warm August capping a season of brutal and deadly temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
—Barry Hatton and Helena Alves, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2023
Between bites of pineapple and dragon fruit during a PEOPLE photo shoot in Malibu, the actress radiates good humor in the sweltering September heat.
—Danielle Bacher, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
First, North Texas has had to sweat through Friday, which hit a sweltering 109 degrees, easily beating the previous daily record of 100 degrees, set in 1985 and 1998.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
While some parts of the country are still easing out of the sweltering temperatures of summer, chilly fall days will be here in a flash.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
Kaitlyn Greenidge, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 Aug. 2023
Although the temperature on the day of the 1963 March may have been lower than Saturday’s, many factors may have contributed to the sense of swelter recalled by participants in the original event.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2023
The failure of humidity to reach the stickiness of peak swelter showed up in the heat index, often regarded as an indicator of how things actually feel.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2023
Each side can make five subs per game at the 2023 World Cup, with an extra sixth sub reserved for players who suffer a head injury and must be removed.
– While much of the world swelters, Auckland is feeling a bit chilly.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 19 July 2023
Washington’s heat only grazed the heights of scorch on Saturday, but the humidity helped the day approach the state of a significant summer swelter.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 July 2023
An uncrowded spot to shake the swelter, and come away wanting to save the planet.
—Britt Kennerly, USA TODAY, 5 July 2023
Although Sunday was only the second day of July, the high temperature in Washington, combined with the day’s soggy air and high humidity seemed to be leading us deep into summer and its typical swelter.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 3 July 2023
State-by-state average temperature trends from 1990 to 2020 show America's summer swelter is increasing more in some of the places that just got baked with extreme heat over the past week: California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Colorado.
—Seth Borenstein, Star Tribune, 4 July 2021
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Verb
That version was held in the parking lot of Caesars Palace and in sweltering heat.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Singapore is rethinking its sweltering urban areas to dampen the effects of climate change.
—Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Yanai doggedly experimented with new fabrics like the popular Heat-Tech range that retains warmth in winter while breathing in sweltering summers.
—Time, 13 Nov. 2023
Setting the story in the sweltering heat of Argentina’s Pampas, Gallardo re-creates the world of ranchers and missionaries from the perspective of the girl, with her adolescent confusion and private sense of guilt.
—Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
The Earth sweltered through its hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured, with a record warm August capping a season of brutal and deadly temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
—Barry Hatton and Helena Alves, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2023
Between bites of pineapple and dragon fruit during a PEOPLE photo shoot in Malibu, the actress radiates good humor in the sweltering September heat.
—Danielle Bacher, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
First, North Texas has had to sweat through Friday, which hit a sweltering 109 degrees, easily beating the previous daily record of 100 degrees, set in 1985 and 1998.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
While some parts of the country are still easing out of the sweltering temperatures of summer, chilly fall days will be here in a flash.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023
Noun
But the swelter of the room ceased to exist when Griffiths stood up to read.
—Kaitlyn Greenidge, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 Aug. 2023
Although the temperature on the day of the 1963 March may have been lower than Saturday’s, many factors may have contributed to the sense of swelter recalled by participants in the original event.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2023
The failure of humidity to reach the stickiness of peak swelter showed up in the heat index, often regarded as an indicator of how things actually feel.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2023
Each side can make five subs per game at the 2023 World Cup, with an extra sixth sub reserved for players who suffer a head injury and must be removed.
– While much of the world swelters, Auckland is feeling a bit chilly.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 19 July 2023
Washington’s heat only grazed the heights of scorch on Saturday, but the humidity helped the day approach the state of a significant summer swelter.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 July 2023
An uncrowded spot to shake the swelter, and come away wanting to save the planet.
—Britt Kennerly, USA TODAY, 5 July 2023
Although Sunday was only the second day of July, the high temperature in Washington, combined with the day’s soggy air and high humidity seemed to be leading us deep into summer and its typical swelter.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 3 July 2023
State-by-state average temperature trends from 1990 to 2020 show America's summer swelter is increasing more in some of the places that just got baked with extreme heat over the past week: California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Colorado.
—Seth Borenstein, Star Tribune, 4 July 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swelter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English sweltren, frequentative of swelten to die, be overcome by heat, from Old English sweltan to die; akin to Goth swiltan to die
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of swelter was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near swelter
Cite this Entry
“Swelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swelter. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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