Definition of: sweat

(swet) v. sweat or sweat·ed, sweat·ing v.i.
1. To exude or excrete sensible moisture from the pores of the skin; perspire.
2. To exude moisture in drops; ooze.
3. To gather and condense moisture in drops on its surface.
4. To pass through pores or interstices in drops.
5. To ferment, as tobacco leaves.
6. Colloq. To work hard; toil; drudge.
7. Colloq. To suffer: You will sweat for that!
—v.t.
8. To exude (moisture) from the pores.
9. To gather or condense drops of (moisture).
10. To soak or stain with sweat.
11. To cause to sweat.
12. To cause to work hard.
13. Colloq. To force (employees) to work for low wages and under unfavorable conditions.
14. Slang To extort money from.
15. To heat (solder, etc.) until it melts.
16. To join, as metal objects, by applying heat after binding together with solder.
17. Metall. To heat so as to extract an element that is easily fusible; also, to extract thus.
18. To force moisture from, as wood in a charcoal kiln.
19. To subject to fermentation, as hides or tobacco.
20. To remove particles of (coins) illegally, as by shaking them in a bag.
21. Slang To subject to torture or rigorous interrogation for the purpose of extracting information; put through the third degree.
—to sweat (something) out Slang To wait through anxiously and helplessly: to sweat out a long delay.
—noun
1. Sensible perspiration of animals, or any gathering of moisture in minute drops like those of perspiration on the skin.
2. The act or state of sweating; specifically, sweating induced by drugs or artificial means.
3. Figuratively, hard labor; drudgery.
4. Colloq. Fuming impatience; worry; hurry.
5. The act or process of causing to sweat, as a short rapid exercise given to a horse or the process of sweating hides or bricks.
6. Obs. The sweating sickness. [<OE swætan <swāt sweat]
—sweat′i·ly adverb
—sweat′i·ness noun
—sweat′y adjective