sweat

plural sweats

1. uncountableusuallyFluid that exits the body through pores in the skin usually due to physical stress and/or high temperature for the purpose of regulating body temperature and removing certain compounds from the circulation.

   Synonyms: perspiration

2. uncountableusuallyThe state of one who is sweating; diaphoresis.

   Just thinking about the interview tomorrow puts me into a nervous sweat.

3. figurativelyuncountableusuallyHard work; toil.
4. figurativelyuncountableusuallyMoisture issuing from any substance.

   the sweat of hay or grain in a mow or stack

   1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC

   1 more example

   The Muses' friend (grey-eyed Aurora) yet Held all the meadows in a cooling sweat, The milk-white gossamers not upwards snow'd, Nor was the sharp and useful-steering goad

   1613, William Browne, Britannia's Pastorals

5. uncountableusuallyA short run by a racehorse as a form of exercise.

   There are some horses so very delicate, and have to run such short lengths, that they may not require a sweat during the whole time of their being in training.

   1840, Richard Darvill, A Treatise on the Care, Treatment, and Training of the English Race Horse

   2 more examples

   A Horſe that gains Fleſh in hard Exerciſe, should be ſweated at leaſt twice in ten Days; and he ſhould run near five Miles in Puſhes, that the Sweat may have Time to diſcharge. Those Horſes which are ſweat without Covering, or with a very thin one, should run a long Sweat, as wel call it, and ſtand a conſiderable while afterwards with a thick Blanket or two over them, from Head to Tail; otherwiſe the Sweat will not come out well.

   1740, Henry Bracken, Farriery improv'd

   A sweat was, accordingly, a training run for a racehorse: a notice in The London Gazette in 1705 advertises a race for hunters that have not 'been kept in sweats above 12 weeks before the day of Running'.

   2016, Gerald Hammond, The Language of Horse Racing

6. historicaluncountableusuallyThe sweating sickness.

   […]who both died within one houre of the sweat at Cambridge

   1577, Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC

   1 more example

   When the sweat comes back this summer, 1528, people say, as they did last year, that you won't get it if you don't think about it.

   2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate, published 2010, page 131

7. UKslanguncountableusuallyespecially WWIgovernmentA soldier (especially one who is old or experienced).
8. slanguncountableusuallyvideo gamesAn extremely or excessively competitive player.

   Casuals believe that sweats are ruining Fortnite. Sweats think that casuals just need to get better at the game. It's a never-ending debate that will never end, despite what anyone tries to say, but it's worth taking a look at regardless.

   2021 October 13, Zachary Roberts, “How exactly are 'sweats' ruining Fortnite? Addressing the never ending try-hards vs casual debate”, in Sportskeeda

   Synonyms: tryhard

present singular third person sweats · participle present sweating · past sweated · participle past sweated · archaic participle past sweaten

1. intransitiveTo emit sweat.

   Synonyms: perspire

2. transitiveTo cause to excrete moisture through skin.
   1. transitiveTo cause to perspire.

      His physicians attempted to sweat him by most powerful sudorifics.

3. informalintransitiveTo work hard.

   I've been sweating over my essay all day.

   Synonyms: slave, slog

   1. informalintransitivevideo gamesTo be extremely dedicated to winning a game; to play competitively.

      There's no way we can win. These guys are sweating so hard.

      1 more example

      With skill-based matchmaking, he wrote, "you have to sweat 100 percent of the time." They contend their audiences want to see them pull off amazing victories, not struggle endlessly against other top players.

      2022 May 27, Ethan Davison, “Video game developers want fair online games. Some players really don’t.”, in The Washington Post

      Synonyms: slave, slog, tryhard

4. informaltransitiveTo extract money, labour, etc. from, by exaction or oppression.

   to sweat labourers

   2 more examples

   to sweat a spendthrift

   "I've predicted it will last 32 years. The last overhaul we will do on it is at 24 years, but we tend to sweat the asset at Network Rail and try and save a bit of money, so I've estimated 32 years."

   2022 September 7, Tom Allett, “At the cutting edge of NR's track work”, in RAIL, number 965, page 40

   Synonyms: bleed

5. informalintransitiveTo worry.

   Synonyms: fret, worry

6. informaltransitiveTo worry about (something).First known use 20th c.

   Don't sweat it!

   2 more examples

   to sweat the small stuff

   There are few matters studio executives sweat more than maintaining their franchises.

   2010 December 5, Brooks Barnes, “Studios battle to save Narnia”, in The New York Times

7. transitiveTo emit, in the manner of sweat.

   to sweat blood

   2 more examples

   With exercise she sweat ill humors out.

   1700, [John] Dryden, “The Cock and the Fox: Or, The Tale of the Nun’s Priest, from Chaucer”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC

   I was sipping a third, but I had no kind of buzz on; apparently I had sweat the beer out as rapidly as I drank it.

   1980, Stephen King, The Mist, Viking Press

8. intransitiveTo emit moisture.

   The cheese will start sweating if you don't refrigerate it.

9. intransitiveTo have drops of water form on (something's surface) due to moisture condensation.

   Coasters are a good way to stop a sweating glass from damaging your table.

10. intransitivebusinessTo solder (a pipe joint) together.
11. slangtransitiveTo stress out, to put under pressure.

    Stop sweatin' me!

    2 more examples

    But I'ma smoke 'em now and not next time / Smoke any motherfucker that sweats me

    1988, “Fuck tha Police”, performed by N.W.A

    Over the next few days the cops half-ass questioned a couple of people, including me and Pimp, but they wasn't able to put nothing on us. They sweated Vyreen's husband pretty hard for a while, though.

    2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 118

12. intransitivetransitivecookingTo cook slowly at low heat, in shallow oil and without browning, to reduce moisture content.

    Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and gently sweat the celery for ten minutes, taking care not to brown it

    2009, Bill Neal, Bill Neal's Southern Cooking, page 11

    3 more examples

    Sweating is a generally a quiet operation; if the food is whispering, or worse, hissing, the moisture is probably evaporating too rapidly

    2002, Judy Rodgers, The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

    Sweat the carrots, onion, celery, leeks, and cabbage in the butter until translucent not allowing them to color in any way.

    2007, Patty Elsberry, Matt Bolus, Simply Vanilla: Recipes for Everyday Use, page 93

    Sweat the onions and garlic in the oil, stirring occasionally, until they are completely soft (no crunch) but not caramelized.

    2011, The Bay Area Homegrown Cookbook

13. archaictransitiveTo remove a portion of (a coin), as by shaking it with others in a bag, so that the friction wears off a small quantity of the metal.

    The only use of it [money] which is interdicted is to put it in circulation again after having diminished its weight by sweating, or otherwise, because the quantity of metal contains is no longer consistent with its impression.

    1879, Richard Cobden, On the Probable Fall in the Value of Gold (originally by Michel Chevalier)

14. intransitiveTo suffer a penalty; to smart for one's misdeeds.
15. transitiveTo take a racehorse for a short exercise run.

    1 more example

    A Horſe that gains Fleſh in hard Exerciſe, should be ſweated at leaſt twice in ten Days; and he ſhould run near five Miles in Puſhes, that the Sweat may have Time to diſcharge. Those Horſes which are ſweat without Covering, or with a very thin one, should run a long Sweat, as wel call it, and ſtand a conſiderable while afterwards with a thick Blanket or two over them, from Head to Tail; otherwiſe the Sweat will not come out well.

    1740, Henry Bracken, Farriery improv'd

plural Sweats

1. A surname.