sweat out

British  

verb

1. to cure or lessen the effects of (a cold, respiratory infection, etc) by sweating

2. informal to endure (hardships) for a time (often in the phrase sweat it out )

3. informal to work extremely hard

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sweat out Idioms  

1. Endure or await something anxiously, as in He sweated out that last final exam, or I don't know if I made the team—I'm still sweating it out. This idiom, often expanded to sweat it out, was first recorded in 1876.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweat out

Some founders break only to exercise at Barry’s boot camp or sweat out toxins at a bathhouse in the city, like Archimedes Banya, where they can chat about future funding rounds with peers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2025

I walk to the gym so I can pump iron and sweat out the toxins of modern life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

Contestants were forced to weigh in shirtless — every natural curve, roll and fold beamed out to millions of American television sets — often after enduring eight hours of cardio to sweat out water weight.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2023

But they had to sweat out the final seconds after Houston scored to make it 21-14, then was threatening to score again before the Sea Dragons made a potential game-saving interception with five seconds left.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2023

Although the pain had brought the sweat out on his forehead, the worst of all was the fear that his backbone was about to snap.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Related Words

• annoy
• bother
• depress
• disturb
• fret
• irritate
• perturb
• plague
• trouble
• try
• unsettle
• upset