as in sweat
a state of nervous or irritated concern
the set designer spent the entire week before opening night in a swelter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to melt
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swelter
Jack Moore, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2025
The east swelters while Phoenix gets a reprieve While Phoenix has enjoyed relatively tame temperatures for much of July, large swaths of the country are scorching.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
Deanna Romano, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Jan. 2026
People hired by the contractors wear extensive protective equipment in the sweltering humidity and must have their blood tested regularly for dioxin.
—Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swelter
Noun
The fire comes as parts of the West Coast swelter under a heat wave.
—Jack Moore, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2025
The east swelters while Phoenix gets a reprieve While Phoenix has enjoyed relatively tame temperatures for much of July, large swaths of the country are scorching.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
Verb
Avoid summer, which brings sweltering heat with little shade and peak accommodation prices, or winter, as many guesthouses close in December and January.
—Deanna Romano, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Jan. 2026
People hired by the contractors wear extensive protective equipment in the sweltering humidity and must have their blood tested regularly for dioxin.
—Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swelter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swelter
Noun
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The ultimate winter sweater can be paired with its matching skirt, jeans, slacks, or sweats.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Feb. 2026
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The sweat-stopping, often controversial ingredient certainly had a reputation back then (see above), but experts say there has been no hard data to suggest there’s a connection between the aluminum salts in antiperspirant and the development of breast cancer.—
Sarah Kinonen,
Allure,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At Columbia University, in front of wrought-iron entrance gates that have been locked for more than two years now, a graduate student named Lily Levitt stood next to a box of whistles as melting snow pooled around her.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
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Watch for puddles, as plenty of snow is going to melt around the area.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Some are high-frequency shocks — wars, emerging technologies, market panics — that spike quickly and dominate our attention.—
Ajaypal Banga,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
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An airstrike on Dubai’s Fairmont The Palm Hotel sparked a fire while also spreading panic on the famous Palm Jumeirah artificial island, where many of the city’s wealthiest residents live.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Republican primary scorched the earth.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
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In 2023, the marathon was canceled the morning of due to scorching heat.—
Aki Nace,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Among agonized grunts and huffs, Probst narrated the fumbles.—
Sarah Grant,
New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2026
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David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Add the garlic and cook one minute more.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
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When the pasta has nearly finished cooking, drain the tomatoes, reserving both the tomatoes and the oil.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The frisson of attraction is palpable from their first meeting, when Venus insists that Rika receive a chair that’s the right size, a fuss that attention-shy Rika would never have made herself.—
Sarah Chihaya,
New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2026
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Usually by this point in awards season, certain films and acting contenders have picked up every precursor along the way, gliding all the way to the Oscar stage with no drama and no fuss.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Using the pie analogy — everybody loves pie — the argument shouldn’t be over how the current pie is sliced, but to bake a much bigger, sweeter pie for everybody, the fan and consumer among them.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
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To make the cake layers ahead, bake and cool according to the recipe.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swelter. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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