definitions

by the sweat of one's brow

By hard work, as in The only way he'll succeed is by the sweat of his brow. This figurative usage appears in the Bible (Genesis 31:9), where Adam's punishment for eating fruit in Eden is “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread”—that is, he will have to work for his bread, or living. [c. 1600]

RELATED CONTENT

One of These Words is Not (Exactly) Like the OtherThe slight difference between anticipate and expect has to do with whether or not any action is taken.
READ MORE
Did One Man Write The First Great English Dictionary All By Himself?We’d like to take a moment to celebrate the man behind A Dictionary of the English Language, the first definitive English dictionary, the famous Samuel Johnson.
READ MORE

Nearby words

by the numbers, by the same token, by the seat of the pants, by the short hairs, by the skin of one's teeth, by the sweat of one's brow, by the way, by turns, by virtue of, by way of, by weight
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.