sweating

S1W4E1A1T1I1N1G2
/ˈswɛtɪŋ/

noun

The production and evaporation of a watery fluid called sweat that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals.

Less commonScrabble 12

Meanings

nounsweating (countable and uncountable, plural sweatings)

plural sweatings

  1. countableuncountableThe production and evaporation of a watery fluid called sweat that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals.

    Her jet-black hair would be heavily braided, and her face chalky-white from its coating of powder (she suffered from constant sweatings and seborrhoea).

    1973, Oliver Sacks, Awakenings
    2 more examples

    In its favour may be urged, I. That in healthy persons, in every case of increased action of the heart and arteries, a sweating takes place, and is, seemingly, the means of preventing the bad effects of such increased action.

    1797, Colin Macfarquhar, George Gleig, Encyclopædia Britannica

    In this early stage there is generally a tendency to constipation of the bowels, and in the intervals between the sweatings the urine remains clear, though not abundant. In the second degree, the emaciation is more noticeable.

    1870, Timothy Holmes, A System of Surgery: Theoretical and Practical, volume 1, page 288

    Synonyms: perspiration, diaphoresis, hidrosis, sudation, sudoresis

  2. countableuncountablebiologyMucilage, especially of cocoa.
  3. countablefigurativelyuncountablecookingThe gentle heating of vegetables in oil or butter.
verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of sweat
adjectivesweating (comparative more sweating, superlative most sweating)

comparative more sweating · superlative most sweating

  1. Giving off sweat.

    A sweating man stepped out of the sauna, wrapping himself in a towel.

    Synonyms: asweat, sudorific, sudoriferous, sweaty

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe production and evaporation of a watery fluid called sweat that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals.

adjectiveGiving off sweat.

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishsweting
  2. Englishsweating

From Middle English sweting, swetynge, equivalent to sweat + -ing (gerund ending).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic عَرَق
  • عَرَق (ʕaraq)bodily process
Chinese Mandarin 流汗, 汗
  • 流汗 (liúhàn)bodily process
  • 汗 (hàn)bodily process
Czech pocení, potící
  • poceníbodily process
  • potícígiving off sweat
Dutch zweet
  • zweetbodily process
Esperanto ŝvita
  • ŝvitagiving off sweat
Finnish hikoilu, hikoileminen
  • hikoilubodily process
  • hikoileminenbodily process
French transpiration
  • transpirationbodily process
German Schwitzen
  • Schwitzenbodily process
Greek εφίδρωση
  • εφίδρωση (efídrosi)bodily process
Hungarian izzadás, verítékezés
  • izzadásbodily process
  • verítékezésbodily process
Irish allas
  • allasbodily process
Italian sudore
  • sudorebodily process
Japanese 汗
  • 汗 (ase)bodily process
Korean 땀
  • 땀 (ttam)bodily process
Latin perspīrāntia, perspīrātio
  • perspīrāntiabodily process
  • perspīrātiobodily process
  • perspīrānsgiving off sweat
Norwegian Bokmål transpirasjon
  • transpirasjonbodily process
Portuguese suor, transpiração
  • suorbodily process
  • transpiraçãobodily process
  • perspiraçãobodily process
Russian поте́ние
  • поте́ние (poténije)bodily process
Spanish sudoración, transpiración
  • sudoraciónbodily process
  • transpiraciónbodily process
Swedish svettning
  • svettningbodily process
Cite this entry
APA

sweating. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweating

MLA

“sweating.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweating. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sweating,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweating.

Source: sweating on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.