sweat
sweat — noun
1. the salty fluid that your body's glands produce and push out through the skin wh
the salty fluid that your body's glands produce and push out through the skin whenever you get too warm, exercise hard, or feel scared or anxious
Aoi wiped the sweat from her forehead after running five kilometres in the park.
wipe sweat from forehead — common action collocation
The players were covered in sweat after the match in the summer heat.
covered in sweat — result of intense physical activity
Cold sweat broke out on Hamza's skin when he heard the strange noise outside.
Rohan's shirt was soaked through with sweat after he spent an hour gardening.
The doctor said that losing too much sweat during exercise can cause dehydration.
- perspiration
more formal or medical term for sweat
- moisture
broader term; sweat is a specific type of moisture on the skin
文法句型
be covered in sweat
be dripping with sweat
break into a sweat
用法筆記
Uncountable in this literal sense. Specific phrases include 'beads of sweat' (small drops), 'cold sweat' (sweat from fear or illness), and 'working up a sweat' (becoming sweaty through effort).
常見錯誤
2. a set of loose, comfortable clothes made of thick cotton cloth, consisting of a
a set of loose, comfortable clothes made of thick cotton cloth, consisting of a sweatshirt and matching trousers, worn for exercise or as casual everyday wear
Tunde put on his sweats and went for a quick jog around the block.
put on sweats — getting dressed for exercise
Wren wore her grey sweats to the library because she had no classes that day.
The team changed into their sweats after the match and headed to the bus.
Sofie packed a pair of clean sweats in her bag for the flight home.
The store had a sale on winter sweats with fleece lining inside.
- sweatsuit
more formal; refers specifically to the matching top and trousers set
- track suit
similar style but usually made of lighter, shiny material
文法句型
sweats as subject/object
a pair of sweats
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural form 'sweats' when referring to the clothing set. 'Sweatsuit' is a more formal alternative. 'Sweatpants' refers only to the trousers, while 'sweatshirt' only to the top. 'Sweats' can mean either the full suit or just the trousers depending on context.
常見錯誤
3. sustained effort using either your body or your mind that you invest in a task,
sustained effort using either your body or your mind that you invest in a task, especially when the work is demanding but essential for reaching a goal
Years of sweat and hard work went into building the family business from scratch.
sweat and hard work — fixed phrase for dedicated effort
Imani put in a lot of sweat to finish the renovation before the winter came.
The old wooden floor showed the sweat of generations of factory workers.
Caio believed that nothing good came without blood, sweat, and tears.
The garden looked great, but making it that way took a lot of sweat.
文法句型
sweat + and + toil/effort
the sweat of [doing something]
用法筆記
Uncountable. Often appears in fixed expressions such as 'blood, sweat, and tears' and 'the sweat of one's brow'. The phrase 'no sweat' (meaning 'no problem') is a separate idiom listed below.
常見錯誤
4. small drops of water that form on a cool surface when warm, moist air touches it
small drops of water that form on a cool surface when warm, moist air touches it and cools down
Beads of sweat appeared on the cold glass of lemonade on the hot afternoon.
beads of sweat + on + cold surface — pattern for condensation
The pipes in the basement were covered in sweat because of the humidity.
covered in sweat — condensation on non-biological surfaces
Élise wiped the sweat off the bathroom mirror after her shower.
The cold water bottle left rings of sweat on the wooden table.
- condensation
the technical term; preferred in scientific or formal writing
- moisture
broader term; any small amount of liquid on a surface
文法句型
beads of sweat + on + surface
sweat + forms/appears
用法筆記
This sense describes moisture forming on inanimate objects, not on living skin. Distinguish from noun/1 (perspiration), which refers to human sweat. The word 'condensation' is the technical term, but 'sweat' is common in everyday speech for objects.
常見錯誤
5. a state of worry, nervousness, or stress, especially when someone feels under pr
a state of worry, nervousness, or stress, especially when someone feels under pressure or is anxious about something that might happen
Dario was in a sweat about his presentation the night before the big meeting.
in a sweat about — fixed phrase for worried state
Tamar got into a sweat over booking the flights for the family holiday.
The students were all in a sweat waiting for their exam results to arrive.
There is no need to get in a sweat about such a small problem.
文法句型
in a sweat about/over + noun
get into a sweat about/over + noun
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrases 'in a sweat' or 'get into a sweat'. The object of worry is introduced by 'about' or 'over'. This sense is informal and used mainly in spoken English.
常見錯誤
❌ 'She sweats about the exam.' (verb sense — correct but different meaning) — noun sense 5 requires 'in a sweat'.
sweat — verb
1. to produce clear, salty liquid through the skin when your body is too hot, you a
to produce clear, salty liquid through the skin when your body is too hot, you are doing physical activity, or you are feeling frightened, anxious, or ill
Yuki started to sweat heavily after running up three flights of stairs.
sweat heavily — adverb collocation for intensity
The bride was sweating with nervousness as she walked down the aisle.
sweating with + emotion — cause of sweating
Lin's hands were sweating so much that the paper got wet and torn.
The soldiers were sweating under the hot midday sun during training.
Kenji woke up sweating because his room had no air conditioning.
- shiver
to shake from cold — opposite bodily reaction to heat
文法句型
sweat + (from/with + noun)
be sweating + adverb
用法筆記
The most common sense of the verb. Often used with adverbs of intensity (heavily, profusely) and prepositions indicating cause or context (with fear, from the heat, under the sun). The 'be sweating' continuous form is very common.
常見錯誤
❌ 'He was sweating from stress.' — this is correct. No special preposition is needed beyond 'from' or 'with'.
2. to form small drops of moisture on the surface of an object, usually because war
to form small drops of moisture on the surface of an object, usually because warm, humid air touches a cooler surface or because trapped dampness escapes through the material
The glass of iced tea was sweating on the table during the picnic.
glass of [drink] was sweating — typical use for condensation
The cold metal pipes in the basement sweat whenever the weather gets humid.
Diego noticed the cheese was sweating inside the plastic wrap in the heat.
The walls were sweating in the bathroom because of the hot shower steam.
Elena left the cold bottle on the desk and it began to sweat immediately.
- dry out
to lose all moisture; the opposite of becoming moist on the surface
文法句型
[object] + is sweating
sweat + from/with + cause
用法筆記
Applied to inanimate objects only. The continuous form ('is sweating') is more common than the simple form ('sweats'). The cause is usually mentioned: temperature difference (cold drink in warm room) or humidity.
常見錯誤
3. to put a lot of physical or mental effort into something difficult, working with
to put a lot of physical or mental effort into something difficult, working with determination over a period of time to achieve a result
Omar sweated over his essay all weekend to meet the Monday deadline.
sweat over — effort directed at a specific task
The team sweated through weeks of practice before the championship match.
sweat through — enduring prolonged effort
Nadia sweated to finish the marathon despite the blistering afternoon heat.
Clara sweated over every detail of the wedding decorations for months.
The carpenter sweated all day to replace the old roof before the rain came.
文法句型
sweat + over + noun
sweat + through + noun
sweat to + infinitive
用法筆記
Often takes 'over' (the task worked on) or 'to + infinitive' (the goal). 'Sweat through' suggests enduring a long, difficult process. Unlike senses 4-6, this sense focuses on effort and exertion rather than worry.
常見錯誤
4. to feel anxious, worried, or stressed about something, especially when you canno
to feel anxious, worried, or stressed about something, especially when you cannot control the outcome or when you are afraid something bad will happen
Hugo was sweating about his job interview all week before the day came.
sweating about + event — anxious anticipation
The farmers were sweating over whether the rain would come in time for the crops.
Li sweated for days after sending the email, waiting for a reply.
Juan told his friend not to sweat about the test because he had studied enough.
文法句型
sweat + about/over + noun/wh-clause
用法筆記
Informal. The preposition is usually 'about' or 'over'. The negative imperative 'don't sweat it/about it' is a common fixed phrase. Unlike verb/3 (work hard), this sense focuses on emotional anxiety rather than physical or mental effort.
常見錯誤
5. used in the negative imperative to tell someone that they should not worry or be
used in the negative imperative to tell someone that they should not worry or be anxious about something because it is not important or will be easy to handle
Don't sweat it — the mistake was tiny and nobody even noticed it.
Don't sweat it — fixed phrase for reassurance
Akiko told her brother not to sweat the small problems with the hotel booking.
The coach said not to sweat the loss because the team played well anyway.
Just don't sweat what they think — your design was original and creative.
- don't worry
neutral register; less informal than 'don't sweat it'
- take it easy
broader; can mean relax generally, not just about a specific worry
文法句型
don't sweat + it/noun
don't sweat + about/over + noun
用法筆記
Occurs almost entirely in negative imperatives: 'don't sweat it' or 'don't sweat about/over [something]'. The object 'it' is the most common form. This is a reassuring phrase used in friendly, informal conversation. Distinguish from verb/4 (worry), which focuses on the feeling of worry rather than the act of reassurance.
常見錯誤
❌ 'I don't sweat the exam.' (present tense statement) — this sounds odd; 'don't sweat' is typically used as a command to someone else.
6. to worry or become stressed about matters that are minor or unimportant, especia
to worry or become stressed about matters that are minor or unimportant, especially when such worry is unnecessary or unproductive in the larger picture
My grandmother always said not to sweat the small stuff in life.
not to sweat the small stuff — the classic set phrase
Raj was sweating every tiny detail of the party instead of enjoying it.
Ananya told herself to stop sweating the little things and focus on the big picture.
The manager sweated every minor expense until the staff found it exhausting.
- fuss over
to show unnecessary worry or excitement about something trivial
- fret about
British; to worry persistently about things that may not matter
- prioritise
to focus on what is truly important rather than trivial details
文法句型
sweat + the + [small/trivial details]
sweat the small stuff
用法筆記
Often used in negative constructions ('don't sweat the small stuff'). The object is typically a phrase like 'the small stuff', 'the details', 'the little things', or 'every minor [something]'. This sense always carries the implication that the worry is disproportionate to the importance of the issue.
常見錯誤
❌ 'Don't sweat the big stuff.' — this undermines the meaning; the idiom specifically refers to unimportant matters.