Dictionary

sweat out en · VERB

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To sweat; to secrete sweat because of heat, nerves etc.
2. (transitive) To endure or go through (an ordeal).
   • Evidently he placed himself at some risk to help us, I learned later, because he was threatened with dismissal for his unauthorized use of the typesetter. Not long thereafter he set up his own business, Xanadu Graphics, where he could work for us without having to sweat out any repercussions. 1984 December 15, John Kyper, “Remembering David Stryker”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 22, page 5:
   • They developed a tremendous respect for the gravel crunchers after sweating out a few rounds of artillery and observing at painfully close range how rocky a Korean hill can be. 1952, Naval Aviation News, page 9:
3. (slang, transitive) To accomplish or achieve, usually through endurance or effort.
   • The church was becoming stuffy, and it occurred to me that Reverend Sykes intended to sweat the amount due out of his flock. Fans crackled, feet shuffled, tobacco-chewers were in agony. 1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
   • I'm going to sweat out fifty more push-ups more before I hit the rack.

Forms

Relateds

ride out · weather out