ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sweat

n. · v.
US //ˈswɛt// UK //swˈɛt// sweat
Irregular verb past sweat / sweated past participle sweat / sweated
  1. 1 body liquid (n.)
    A2 Elementary Medicine

    the salty liquid that comes out of your skin when you are hot, sick, or nervous.

    the moisture exuded through the pores of the skin as a reaction to heat, physical exertion, or emotional stress.

    Example

    He wiped the sweat from his forehead after finishing the long race.

    Example

    The athlete's jersey was soaked with sweat by the end of the second half, reflecting the sheer intensity of the competition.
    • perspiration
  2. 2 hard work (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    hard physical work or a lot of effort.

    intense physical or mental effort; often used in the idiom 'blood, sweat, and tears'.

    Example

    It took a lot of sweat to get the old garden looking beautiful again.

    Example

    The success of the startup was built on years of sweat and late nights in a cramped garage office.
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  1. 3 competitive player (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal Computing

    someone who tries much too hard to win a game, especially a video game.

    a player who exerts excessive effort or uses overly serious tactics in a casual gaming environment.

    Example

    I hate playing in this lobby because it is full of sweats who take it too seriously.

    Example

    The community often complains that the matchmaking system pits casual players against absolute sweats, ruining the relaxed atmosphere of the game.
    • try hard
  2. 4 to produce liquid (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to have liquid come out of your skin because you are hot or nervous.

    to excrete moisture through the pores of the skin; intransitive or used with 'out'.

    Example

    The spicy food made him sweat so much he had to take off his jacket.

    Example

    Even in the air-conditioned room, the witness began to sweat under the prosecutor's relentless line of questioning.
    • perspire
  3. 5 to worry (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    to feel very nervous or worried about something.

    to experience or manifest great anxiety or suspense; often used transitively in the negative.

    Example

    Don't sweat the small stuff; everything will be fine in the end.

    Example

    The manager told the team not to sweat the minor delays as long as the final product was delivered by Friday.
  4. 6 to cook slowly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Cooking

    to cook vegetables slowly in a little fat so they get soft but not brown.

    to cook food, typically vegetables, over low heat in a small amount of fat to soften them and release their juices without browning.

    Example

    Sweat the onions for five minutes until they are clear and soft.

    Example

    The recipe requires you to sweat the mirepoix gently to build a flavour base without introducing the bitterness of caramelisation.
  5. 7 to condense (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    when small drops of water form on the outside of a cold object.

    to collect or exude moisture on a surface through condensation.

    Example

    The cold glass of water started to sweat in the heat of the afternoon.

    Example

    The copper pipes began to sweat as the humidity in the basement rose, leading to concerns about potential water damage.
Etymology 1

From Middle English swete, swet, swate, swote, from Old English swāt, from Proto-Germanic swait-, swaitą, from Proto-Indo-European swoyd- (“to sweat”), o-grade of sweyd- (“to sweat”). Cognate with West Frisian swit, Dutch zweet, German Schweiß, Danish sved, Swedish svett, Yiddish שוויצן (shvitsn) (English shvitz), Latin sudor, French sueur, Italian sudore, Spanish sudor, Persian خوی (xway, “sweat”), Sanskrit स्वेद (svéda), Lithuanian sviedri, Tocharian B syā-, Albanian djersë, and Welsh chwys.

Etymology 2

From Middle English sweten, from Old English swǣtan, from Proto-Germanic *swaitijaną (“to sweat”). Compare Dutch zweten, German schwitzen, Danish svede. Doublet of shvitz.

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