perspire

American

[per-spahyuhr] / pərˈspaɪər /

verb (used without object)

perspired, perspiring

to secrete a salty, watery fluid from the sweat glands of the skin, especially when very warm as a result of strenuous exertion; sweat.

verb (used with object)

perspired, perspiring

to emit through pores; exude.

perspire British

/ pəˈspaɪə /

verb

to secrete or exude (perspiration) through the pores of the skin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

perspirability noun
perspirable adjective
perspiringly adverb
perspiry adjective
unperspired adjective
unperspiring adjective

Etymology

Origin of perspire

1640–50; < Latin perspīrāre to blow constantly (said of the wind), breathe through; in New Latin: to sweat imperceptibly. See per-, inspire

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He couldn’t have been sweating on the dancefloor because an “overdose of adrenaline’’ during his time as a helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands War had left him unable to perspire.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 1, 2024

Your nose will perspire and you will feel compelled to touch it.

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2024

And he said, ‘Coach, quarterbacks don’t sweat. Quarterbacks perspire.’

From Washington Times • Aug. 24, 2022

But Andrew said that he wasn’t able, at that time, to perspire.

From Washington Post • Nov. 16, 2019

I was extremely tense and began to perspire.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023