1
as in laboring
to devote serious and sustained effort
spent the afternoon sweating over her tax returns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in worrying
to experience concern or anxiety
don't sweat over getting the application in a day late, as it probably doesn't matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dripping
to flow forth slowly through small openings
the oil coat may sweat through this varnish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in interrogating
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 & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of sweating
If things go sideways, they could be left in third place headed into the conference tournament and sweating their NCAA tournament status just a bit.
—
Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Wearing proper clothing is important to prevent overheating, sweating and causing additional strain on the cardiovascular system.
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
Sipping water with a little salt may also benefit serious athletes or anyone sweating excessively due to heat or humidity.
—Currie Engel, Health, 19 Feb. 2026
Lutz, now 59, started sweating profusely.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
Das recommends not sweating the specifics about how much diet adds to your lifespan.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Both of them were clothed but were reportedly sweating, according to the complaint.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
That didn’t mean Valerie Bradley was sweating Honnold’s date with Netflix and a Taiwanese skyscraper.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Already, some industry observers are sweating at what that might portend, given that the WGA can safely be called the most aggressive union of the three.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Wearing proper clothing is important to prevent overheating, sweating and causing additional strain on the cardiovascular system.
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
Sipping water with a little salt may also benefit serious athletes or anyone sweating excessively due to heat or humidity.
—Currie Engel, Health, 19 Feb. 2026
Lutz, now 59, started sweating profusely.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
Das recommends not sweating the specifics about how much diet adds to your lifespan.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Both of them were clothed but were reportedly sweating, according to the complaint.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
That didn’t mean Valerie Bradley was sweating Honnold’s date with Netflix and a Taiwanese skyscraper.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Already, some industry observers are sweating at what that might portend, given that the WGA can safely be called the most aggressive union of the three.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweating
Verb
-
The son of a medical-gas plumber who worked night shifts, Darnold just kept laboring at his craft.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
-
In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of worrying about ratings, the new late-night creators are directly beholden to their viewers.—
Joy Press,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But Joe Garcia, a Democratic former congressman from Miami, said that stance could backfire as Cuban Americans begin worrying about their relatives on the island.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Davies translated that into all sorts of wet surfaces, with water dripping down the rocks of Wuthering Heights and the rock gradually pushing in over the course of the movie.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Antnation Boho Smocked Top Set This $37 boho set is a one-and-done spring travel outfit that’s dripping in carefree, vacation-ready style.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The film is the third in Saleh’s trilogy interrogating the machinery of political control—following Sundance pic The Nile Hilton Incident and Cairo Conspiracy.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
23 Feb. 2026
-
His final feature, Menus-Plaisirs—Les Troisgros, about a three-star Michelin restaurant in France, explores the culinary process from the market to the table, interrogating every single step from the selection of produce to the choice behind each dish.—
Vikram Murthi,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And don’t forget 26-year-old Ludvig Åberg, struggling so far but still a two-time Ryder Cup winner with multiple wins on tour.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, Ukraine’s birth rate is collapsing, with increasing number of people struggling with fertility or putting off the decision to have children.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These new tools, from the likes of Anthropic and OpenAI, have left investors fretting over whether AI will permanently disrupt their business models.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2026
-
China will be fretting over freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who fell short of gold at the Beijing Games four years ago.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Tickets sales are strong and a good portion of opening-night audience members were weeping during the play’s heartbreaking second act.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Redshirt sophomore Jana El Alfy, who brought down a career-best 16 rebounds on top of six points, was openly weeping before the first tribute video even began on the Gampel Pavilion jumbotron.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The rapid rise of Korean drama in Europe is entering a new phase, shifting from streaming success toward local adaptation and co-development, executives said during a Mip London session examining the genre’s growing regional impact.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
-
One may gain a better understanding of how call spread risk reversals work by examining the histogram of returns for the past 11 years below.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sweating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweating. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
