sweat
gb/swˈɛt/ us/swˈɛt/
A2
English
~ 1200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Produce moisture from skin
To have water come out of your skin because you are hot, working hard, or nervous.
Usage pattern:
[someone] sweats [when/while] [doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sweat' (verb) with 'sweater' (noun for clothing).
Synonyms
perspire (More formal and less common in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
shiver (Opposite bodily reaction to cold rather than heat.)
Collocations
sweat heavily
|start to sweat
|break into a sweat
|sweat profusely
|make [someone] sweat
Themes
daily life
|health
|human body
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- After running for an hour, she was sweating heavily.
- He started to sweat when he saw the exam questions.
- The workers sweated in the hot factory all day.
- I always sweat a lot when I’m nervous.
- They were sweating under the midday sun.
Learner examples
- I sweat when I run.
- He is sweating because it is hot.
- She sweats during exercise.
- They sweat after playing football.
Noun
A2
entity
2
Moisture from skin
Water that comes out of your skin when you are hot, working hard, or nervous.
Synonyms
perspiration (More formal and less common in casual speech.)
Collocations
covered in sweat
|dripping with sweat
|beads of sweat
|cold sweat
Themes
daily life
|health
|human body
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her shirt was soaked with sweat after the game.
- Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
- He woke up in a cold sweat after the nightmare.
- Sweat ran down his back in the heat.
- The athlete wiped the sweat from his face.
Learner examples
- I can see sweat on his face.
- Her hands are wet with sweat.
- Sweat is on my forehead after running.
- There is sweat on my back.
Verb
informal
B1
action
3
Work very hard or under stress
To work very hard, especially when it is difficult or stressful.
Usage pattern:
[someone] sweats over [something]
Synonyms
toil (More formal and literary; often implies long-term hard work.)
Antonyms
relax (Opposite state of being at ease without hard effort.)
Collocations
sweat over deadlines
|sweat through the night
|sweat for hours
Themes
work
|daily life
|business
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They sweated over the project all week.
- I’m sweating to finish this report before the meeting.
- She sweated for hours to get it right.
- We sweated over every detail of the plan.
Learner examples
- I sweat over my homework every night.
- She sweats to finish her work on time.
- We sweat when we have many tasks.
Verb
informal
B1
state
4
Feel anxious or worried
To feel nervous or worried about something bad that might happen.
Usage pattern:
[someone] sweats about [something]
Synonyms
worry (More general term for feeling concerned; 'sweat' is more informal and vivid.)
Antonyms
stay calm (Opposite emotional state of not feeling nervous.)
Collocations
sweat about results
|sweat over a decision
Themes
emotions
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He sweated about the job interview for days.
- Don’t sweat it — everything will be fine.
- We’re sweating over whether the flight will be canceled.
Learner examples
- I sweat about my test tomorrow.
- She sweats when she has to speak in public.
- They sweat before big games.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sweat
IPA
GB/swˈɛt/
US/swˈɛt/
Syllables & stress
sweat (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (sweat)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: sweat
- Plural: sweat, sweats
Verb
- Base: sweat
- 3rd Person Singular: sweats
- Present Participle: sweating
- Past: sweated
Word family
Forms
sweats
noun
sweating
verb
sweated
verb
Core family
sweaty
adjective
Advanced or less common
sweatiness
noun
Expressions
break into a sweat
1/bɹˈeɪk ˈɪntu ə swˈɛt/
idiom
Suddenly start sweating
To suddenly start having water on your skin because you are hot, working hard, or nervous.
Examples
- He broke into a sweat during the presentation.
- I break into a sweat just thinking about that exam.
don't sweat it
1/dˈoʊnt swˈɛt ˈɪt/
idiom
informal
Stop worrying about something minor
Used to tell someone not to worry about something small or unimportant.
Examples
- Don’t sweat it — I’ll take care of everything.
- It’s just a small mistake; don’t sweat it.
in a cold sweat
1/ˈɪn ə kˈoʊld swˈɛt/
idiom
Sweating from fear or anxiety
Having water on your skin because you are very afraid or worried, not because you are hot or working hard.
Examples
- She woke up in a cold sweat after the nightmare.
- He was in a cold sweat before giving his speech.
no sweat
1/nˈoʊ swˈɛt/
idiom
informal
Something is easy to do
Used to say that something is easy and not a problem.
Examples
- 'Can you help me move this sofa?' 'No sweat!'
- It was no sweat fixing the computer.
sweat it out
1/swˈɛt ˈɪt ˈaʊt/
idiom
informal
Endure anxious waiting period
To wait in a worried way for something to happen.
Examples
- We had to sweat it out until the final scores were announced.
- They’re sweating it out while their son is in surgery.