# sweat of one's brow

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/sweat-of-ones-brow
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The effort extended in (often manual) labour, and the value created thereby.

## Examples

- He built his house by the sweat of his brow.
- You earn every dollar through the sweat of your brow.
- She saved enough money to buy her first car through the hard work and sweat of her brow.
- The young entrepreneur refused to take a loan, preferring to build her small business from nothing through the sweat of her brow.
- After months of digging and planting, the community finally enjoyed a garden created entirely by the sweat of their brow.
- The old farmer looked at his vast, golden fields and felt proud of the harvest he had earned by the sweat of his brow.

## Origin

A reference to Genesis 3:17 and 19 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “And unto Adam he [God] said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, … In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground: …”, meaning that due to disobedience to God, humans would henceforth have to exert labour for their food, causing their brows or foreheads to perspire.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.