sweat out

present singular third person sweats out · participle present sweating out · participle past sweated out · past sweated out

1. intransitiveTo sweat; to secrete sweat because of heat, nerves etc.
2. transitiveTo endure or go through (an ordeal).

   They developed a tremendous respect for the gravel crunchers after sweating out a few rounds of artillery and observing at painfully close range how rocky a Korean hill can be.

   1952, Naval Aviation News, page 9

   1 more example

   Evidently he placed himself at some risk to help us, I learned later, because he was threatened with dismissal for his unauthorized use of the typesetter. Not long thereafter he set up his own business, Xanadu Graphics, where he could work for us without having to sweat out any repercussions.

   1984 December 15, John Kyper, “Remembering David Stryker”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 22, page 5

3. slangtransitiveTo accomplish or achieve, usually through endurance or effort.

   I'm going to sweat out fifty more push-ups more before I hit the rack.

   1 more example

   The church was becoming stuffy, and it occurred to me that Reverend Sykes intended to sweat the amount due out of his flock. Fans crackled, feet shuffled, tobacco-chewers were in agony.

   1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC