sweat
Pronunciation: (swet), [key] — v., n., adj. sweat sweat•ed, sweat•ing,
—v.i. - to perspire, esp. freely or profusely.
- to exude moisture, as green plants piled in a heap or cheese.
- to gather moisture from the surrounding air by condensation.
- (of moisture or liquid) to ooze or be exuded.
- to work hard.
- to experience distress, as from anxiety.
- (of tobacco) to ferment.
—v.t. - to excrete (perspiration, moisture, etc.) through the pores of the skin.
- to exude in drops or small particles: The drying figs sweat tiny drops of moisture.
- to send forth or get rid of with or like perspiration (often fol. by out or off).
- to wet or stain with perspiration.
- to cause (a person, a horse, etc.) to perspire.
- to cause to exude moisture, esp. as a step in an industrial drying process: to sweat wood.
- to earn, produce, or obtain (a result, promotion, compliment, etc.) by hard work.
- to cause to lose (weight) as by perspiring or hard work: The hard week's work sweated five pounds off him.
- to cause, force, or bring pressure on (a person, an animal, etc.) to work hard.
- to employ (workers) at low wages, for long hours, or under other unfavorable conditions.
- to labor with meticulous care over: The manufacturer of this beautiful car has really sweated the details.
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- to obtain or extort (money) from someone.
- to extort money from; fleece.
- to subject to severe questioning; give the third degree to.
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- to heat (an alloy) in order to remove a constituent melting at a lower temperature than the alloy as a whole.
- to heat (solder or the like) to melting.
- to join (metal objects) by heating and pressing together, usually with solder.
- to remove bits of metal from (gold coins) by shaking them against one another, as in a bag. Cf. (def. 4).
- to cause (tobacco or cocoa) to ferment.
- with no difficulty or problem.
- He was sweating blood while she was in the operating room.
- to be under a strain; work strenuously.
- to wait anxiously; worry:He was sweating blood while she was in the operating room.
- There was no news of survivors, so all we could do was sweat it.
- to wait anxiously; endure the best way one can:There was no news of survivors, so all we could do was sweat it.
- to worry; be apprehensive:You'll do OK, so don't sweat it.
- The accused sweated out the jury's deliberation.
- to await anxiously the outcome of; endure apprehensively:The accused sweated out the jury's deliberation.
- to work arduously at or toward:The director sweated out a camera angle with the cinematographer.
—n. - the process of sweating or perspiring.
- that which is secreted from sweat glands; perspiration.
- a state or a period of sweating.
- hard work.
- a state of anxiety or impatience.
- a process of inducing sweating or perspiration, or of being sweated, as in medical treatment.
- moisture exuded from something or gathered on a surface.
- an exuding of moisture, as by a substance.
- an inducing of such exudation, as in some industrial process.
- a run given to a horse for exercise, as before a race.
- sweatpants, sweatshirts, sweat suits, or the like.
—adj. - sweat dresses.
- (of clothes) made to be worn for exercise, sports, or other physical activity.
- made of the absorbent fabric used for such clothes:sweat dresses.
- of, for, or associated with such clothes:the sweat look in sportswear.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.