The Past Tense of Sweat: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It

Have you ever got stuck on the correct past tense of the word sweat in the English language? This article will explain the conjugations of the word sweat and also define sweat and give you all the information you need about the word.

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What Is the Definition of the Word Sweat?

The verb sweat is defined as:

Intransitive verb 

  • to excrete moisture in visible quantities through the openings of the sweat glands: perspire
  • to labor or exert oneself so as to cause perspiration
  • to emit or exude moisture 
    • cheese sweats in ripening
  • to gather surface moisture in beads as a result of condensation 
    • stones sweat at night
  • Putrefy 
  • Ferment 
  • to undergo anxiety or mental or emotional distress 
    • sweat through final exams
  • to become exuded through pores or a porous surface: ooze

Transitive verb 

  • to emit or seem to emit from pores of the skin: exude
  • to manipulate or produce by hard work or drudgery
  • to get rid of or lose (weight) by or as if by sweating or being sweated
  • to make wet with perspiration
  • to cause to excrete moisture from the skin
  • to drive hard: overwork
  • to exact work from at low wages and under unfair or unhealthful conditions
  • slang: to give the third degree to
  • to cause to exude or lose moisture
    • especially: to subject (something, such as tobacco leaves) to fermentation
  • to extract something valuable from by unfair or dishonest means: fleece
  • to remove particles of metal from (a coin) by abrasion
  • to heat (something, such as solder) so as to melt and cause to run especially between surfaces to unite them
  • also: to unite by such means 
    • sweat a pipe joint
  • to heat so as to extract an easily fusible constituent 
    • sweat bismuth ore
  • to sauté in a covered vessel until natural juices are exuded
  • slang: to worry about 
    • doesn’t sweat the small stuff — Barry McDermott

Noun

  • hard work: drudgery
  • the fluid excreted from the sweat glands of the skin: perspiration
  • moisture issuing from or gathering in drops on a surface
  • the condition of one sweating or sweated
  • a spell of sweating
  • a state of anxiety or impatience

What Is the Past Tense of Sweat?

The past tense of sweat is sweated. This would be used in a sentence like: I ran further and sweated more than I ever have before. 

How Do You Conjugate Sweat?

Here are some conjugations of the English verb sweat including the past tense:

Infinitive: To sweat

Present Participle/Gerund: Sweating

Past Participle: Sweated

Present TenseSimple, Past TenseFuture Tense
I sweatsweatedAm sweating
You sweatsweatedAre sweating
He/she/it sweatssweatedIs sweating
We sweatsweatedAre sweating
They sweatsweatedAre sweating

Synonyms of Sweat

  • Bang away – to work with determined effort, to attack persistently
  • Beaver away – to work in a very active and energetic way
  • Dig away –  to break up, turn, or loosen (earth) with an implement
  • Drudge – to do hard, menial, or monotonous work
  • Endeavor – to attempt (something, such as the fulfillment of an obligation) by exertion of effort
  • Grub – to clear by digging up roots and stumps
  • Humb –  a difficult, trying, or critical phase or obstacle  —often used in the phrase over the hump
  • Hustle –  to obtain by energetic activity  —usually used with up
  • Labor – expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory
  • Moil – to work hard

Examples of the Word in Context

Summary

Next time you need to write the word of the day sweat, you will be well prepared for everything you need to know what it is and how to use it efficiently. You should feel confident with the different verb conjugations, the history of the word, and the definition used within English grammar whether it’s American English or British English. 

Sources:

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