1
as in effort
the active use of energy in producing a result
save your sweat: no one will appreciate your efforts anyway
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2
as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work
it took years of sweat to bring the farm to the point where it is now
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3
as in fear
an uneasy state of mind usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or trouble
my boss told me not to get in a sweat about the accident—she'd make sure I wasn't blamed for it
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4
as in huff
a state of nervous or irritated concern
he always ends up in a sweat during tax season
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1
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
spent the afternoon sweating over her tax returns
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2
as in to worry
to experience concern or anxiety
don't sweat over getting the application in a day late, as it probably doesn't matter
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3
as in to drip
to flow forth slowly through small openings
the oil coat may sweat through this varnish
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4
as in to interrogate
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
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Cite this Entry
“Sweat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweat. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.
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