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sweat out

B2 informal separable transitive
In simple words

To push something out of your body by sweating, or to get through a really nervous wait.

Literal meaning: To push something out (through sweat) or to persist through something in a sweaty, stressful way.

Meanings

1 B2 informal

To push a toxin, illness, or substance out of the body by sweating through physical exertion or heat.

"She spent the whole day under blankets, trying to sweat out her cold."

Grammar: separable
2 B2 idiomatic informal

To endure the stress or anxiety of a difficult, tense period of waiting.

"The players had to sweat out the final ten minutes of the game with a one-goal lead."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Closely related to 'sweat it out' but takes an explicit object (e.g., 'sweat out a cold,' 'sweat out the last few minutes'). Common in sports and medical informal language.

Commonly used with

cold fever final minutes anxiety last rounds tension

Forms

Base
sweat out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sweats out
he/she/it
Past simple
sweated out
yesterday
Past participle
sweated out
have + pp
-ing form
sweating out
continuous

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Synonyms

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