Word.ws English Dictionary

breaks a sweat

breaks a sweat is the third-person singular simple present indicative of break a sweat.

Meaning of break a sweat

Verb

break a sweat (third-person singular simple present breaks a sweat, present participle breaking a sweat, simple past broke a sweat, past participle broken a sweat)

  1. To start sweating, especially due to physical exertion.
    • 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.2001, Karon Karter, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Pilates Method, →ISBN, page 119
  2. (idiomatic) To put effort into something; to struggle.
    • He always succeeds effortlessly and never breaks a sweat.

Questions about breaks a sweat

What is breaks a sweat the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Breaks a sweat is the third-person singular simple present indicative of break a sweat.

Words near breaks a sweat in the dictionary

  1. breaks a fly on the wheel
  2. breaks a fly upon a wheel
  3. breaks a fly upon the wheel
  4. breaks a lance
  5. breaks a promise
  6. breaks a sweat
  7. breaks and enters
  8. breaks apart
  9. breaks away
  10. breaks back
  11. breaks bad

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: breaks a sweat (page history and authors); break a sweat (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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