Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

break a sweat

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.10 in modern English

Syllables: break a sweat
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To start sweating, especially due to physical exertion.

verb

To put effort into something; to struggle.

Example Sentences

"Are you feeling stronger and more energetic, and even—dare I say it—breaking a sweat? No, not a pink-faced, dripping sweat; nevertheless, a little dewy under the arms and around your forehead."
"The work was hard enough that he broke a sweat."
"He always succeeds effortlessly and never breaks a sweat."
"She didn't miss a line in the shower, getting through the performance without breaking a sweat."
"They're gonna have to break a sweat in order to finish the project on time."
"Consider, for instance, that Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Marat Safin and even the supposedly out-of-sorts Lleyton Hewitt all won the opening set of their first-round matches 6-0 before barely breaking a sweat in the two sets that followed."

Inflected Forms

breaks a sweat (present, singular) breaking a sweat (participle, present) broke a sweat (past) broken a sweat (participle, past)

Questions

What does break a sweat mean?: To start sweating, especially due to physical exertion.

How to pronounce break a sweat

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “break a sweat”.
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