sweat

1 verb

1 LIQUID FROM SKIN (I) to have liquid coming out through your skin, especially because you are hot or frightened: I was sweating after the long climb. | sweat heavily/profusely (=sweat a lot) | sweat like a pig informal (=sweat a lot) | sweat buckets informal (=sweat a lot)

2 WORK (I) informal to work hard: For years she had struggled and sweated to keep the family fed.

(+ over): Tim really sweated over that thesis. | sweat blood (=work very hard)

3 WORRY (I) informal to be anxious, nervous, or worried about something: We were all really sweating as we waited for the results. | Don't tell them yet - let them sweat a bit first!

4 don't sweat it AmE spoken used to tell someone not to worry about something: Don't sweat it, I'll lend you the money.

5 don't sweat the small stuff AmE spoken used to tell someone not to worry about unimportant things

6 sweat bullets AmE informal to be very worried, anxious, or frightened

7 PRODUCE LIQUID (I) if something such as cheese sweats, liquid from inside appears on its surface

8 COOK (T) BrE to heat food gently in a little water or fat: Sweat the vegetables until the juices run out.

sweat sth out phrasal verb (T)

1 sweat it out

a) to continue doing something until it is finished, even though it is difficult: You can't leave the course now. Just sweat it out until the summer.

b) to do hard physical exercise: They were sweating it out in the gym.

2 to get rid of an illness by making yourself sweat a lot

3 sweat your guts out informal to work very hard, especially using physical effort: I've sweated my guts out trying to get this shed built on time.

4 sweat sth out of sb AmE informal to find out information from someone by asking lots of questions in a threatening way: Finally they sweated the other names out of him.

sweat sth off phrasal verb (T) to lose weight by sweating a lot: He sweated off two pounds in the sauna. 2 noun

1 LIQUID ON SKIN (U) liquid that comes out through your skin when you are hot, frightened, or doing exercise: Ian came off the squash court dripping with sweat. | work up a sweat (=to do physical exercise or hard work that makes you sweat) | break out in a sweat (=start to sweat, especially because you are frightened): I was ready to kill the guy, and he didn't even break out in a sweat!

2 get into a sweat about sth informal to become nervous or frightened about something: Don't get into such a sweat about it! It's only a test.

3 a cold sweat a state of nervousness or fear, in which you start to sweat, even though you are not hot: I woke up from the nightmare in a cold sweat.

4 no sweat spoken used to say that you can do something easily: “Are you sure you can do it on time?” “Yeah, no sweat!”

5 sweats (plural) AmE informal

a) clothes made of thick, soft cotton, worn especially for sport; sweat suit

b) trousers of this type; sweat pants

6 the sweat of sb's brow literary the hard effort that someone has made in their work

7 WORK (singular) old-fashioned hard work, especially when it is boring or unpleasant

8 (old) sweat old-fashioned someone who has a lot of experience, especially a soldier