sweat equity

American  

noun

1. unreimbursed labor that results in the increased value of property or that is invested to establish or expand an enterprise.

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Etymology

Origin of sweat equity

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweat equity

That investment, combined with access to the U.S. market and the global trade system and lubricated by the sweat equity of a highly educated populace, enabled Seoul to forge an “economic miracle.”

From Washington Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

Grizzard's father, Claude Umstead Parrish, was a Merita Bread salesman who went in on a commercial bakery in Emporia, Virginia in 1941 with $15 and sweat equity.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2022

The money for “City” came from gifts, half from Lannan, as well as from Heizer’s own wallet and sweat equity.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2022

Before the surge, the woman born Amerylus Cooper had put days and nights of sweat equity into opening the center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2022

My family invested decades of sweat equity and money in our house to create and pay for the best home we could.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2022