Dictionary

break a sweat en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. To start sweating, especially due to physical exertion.
   • Are you feeling stronger and more energetic, and even—dare I say it—breaking a sweat? No, not a pink-faced, dripping sweat; nevertheless, a little dewy under the arms and around your forehead. 2001, Karon Karter, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pilates Method, →ISBN, page 119:
   • The work was hard enough that he broke a sweat.
2. (idiomatic, in the negative) To put effort into something; to struggle.
   • I've stumbled over gaming's simplest hurdles, been humiliated by the lowliest of enemies and will often go for an easy mode if one's available, and yet I've run through Bloodborne twice without ever really breaking much of a sweat. 2018 March 6, Martin Robinson, “Dispelling the myths of Bloodborne”, in Eurogamer:
   • She didn't miss a line in the shower, getting through the performance without breaking a sweat.
   • He always succeeds effortlessly and never breaks a sweat.
   • Consider, for instance, that Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Marat Safin and even the supposedly out-of-sorts Lleyton Hewitt all won the opening set of their first-round matches 6-0 before barely breaking a sweat in the two sets that followed. 2008 January 17, Richard Hinds, “Walkovers blaze a trail for women's equal-pay theory”, in The Age, Australia:
   • They're gonna have to break a sweat in order to finish the project on time.

Forms

Translations (31)

ru приложи́ть уси́лия (to put effort into something) · fr se mettre à transpirer (to start sweating) · fr sans broncher (to put effort into something) · de ins Schwitzen kommen (to put effort into something) · cs zpotit se (to put effort into something) · bn মাথার ঘাম পায়ে ফেলা (to put effort into something) · fi tulla hikeen (to start sweating) · ru пошевели́ть па́льцем (to put effort into something) · ru вспоте́ть (to start sweating) · cmn 出汗 (to start sweating) · vi đổ mồ hôi (to put effort into something) · ja 汗をかく (to start sweating) · fr sans sourciller (to put effort into something) · cs zpotit se (to start sweating) · fr commencer à transpirer (to start sweating) · es empezar a sudar (to start sweating) · nl er flink voor werken (to put effort into something) · tr ter dökmek (to put effort into something) · pt começar a suar (to start sweating) · de ins Schwitzen kommen (to start sweating) · hy քրտնել (to start sweating) · es sudar la gota gorda (to put effort into something) · de sich ins Zeug legen (to put effort into something) · hy ջանք թափել (to put effort into something) · fi tulla hikeen (to put effort into something) · pt esforçar-se (to put effort into something) · vi đổ mồ hôi (to start sweating) · pl napocić się (to start sweating) · es comenzar a sudar (to start sweating) · pl napocić się (to put effort into something) · cmn 费劲 (to put effort into something)