swelter

1 of 2

verb

swel·​ter ˈswel-tər How to pronounce swelter (audio)
sweltered; sweltering ˈswel-t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce swelter (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to suffer, sweat, or be faint from heat
2
: to become exceedingly hot
in summer, the place swelters

transitive verb

1
: to oppress with heat
2
archaic : exude
sweltered venomWilliam Shakespeare

swelter

2 of 2

noun

1
: a state of oppressive heat
2
: welter
3
: an excited or overwrought state of mind : sweat
in a swelter

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The weather was sweltering and the fellows were friendly and gracious. Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2025 Guardiola might use this summer to fix up his defensive discipline, but expect to see Cherki’s creativity in full flow against weary defences melting in the sweltering sun. Mark Carey, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Noun
With platinum success in the rearview and a swelter of career accolades on the mantle, these acts have little left to prove other than making art that means something to them, whether an audience gathers or not. Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 13 June 2025 The swelter wasn’t just numerical as the real-feel temperature, the heat index factoring in relative humidity, was a couple of notches higher. Biswajeet Banerjee, Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for swelter

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swelter. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

swelter

1 of 2 verb
swel·​ter ˈswel-tər How to pronounce swelter (audio)
sweltered; sweltering -t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce swelter (audio)
1
: to suffer, sweat, or be faint from heat
2
: to overcome with heat

swelter

2 of 2 noun
: a state of great heat

More from Merriam-Webster on swelter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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