Past Tense of Sweat | Explanation & Examples
The past tense of sweat in most cases is sweated, although some dictionaries also allow sweat.
Sweat is a verb and noun, both of which refer to the bodily function of perspiration. As a verb sweat sometimes also describes any process that releases water from an object (e.g., “First, sweat the onions and garlic in a pan”). It can have a negative connotation when used figuratively (e.g., “The river sweats oil and tar” from T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land).
Because sweat is associated with strenuous exercise, it has come to be a synonym for hard, sustained effort even when there is no actual perspiration (e.g., “You’ll have to sweat it out to pass your exams”).
Everyone was nervous and sweated as they waited for their results.
I admired Gill for the way she really sweated her exams.
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Sweated
In formal use, sweat is a regular verb and forms the past tense and past participle by adding “-ed.”
Sweated is also an adjective describing something that has sweated or been sweated (e.g., “I added the sweated onions to the sauce”).
| Sweated as simple past tense | Sweated as past participle |
|---|---|
| The boxer was over her division weight and sweated off the excess pounds in the steam box. | The whole class had sweated for their finals to make the teacher proud. |
| The crowd sweated in the unrelenting sunshine. | He woke up feeling so much better—it seems he had sweated out the fever at last. |
| The horses glistened as they sweated from their exertion. | It was so hot that Marco had sweated through his suit jacket. |
| The longer they sweated in the heat, the less attractive the sandwiches became. | They had toiled, and they had sweated, but now they were done! |
Sweat
Most dictionaries allow sweat as both the simple past tense and past participle of sweat.
| Sweat as simple past tense | Sweat as past participle |
|---|---|
| I couldn’t believe how much I sweat yesterday! | Sofia had sweat and stressed the whole semester. |
| The runners were anxious to get started and sweat in the heat at the start line. | It was so cold, it was hard to believe that only a month ago they had sweat in the burning summer heat. |
- Jenny sweat through her running top in the heat.
- Gail really sweat her studies that semester.
- I made sure I had sweat the onions before adding the parsley.
Sweated is a safe choice as it will never be wrong as the past tense or past participle form.
Frequently asked questions about the past tense of sweat
- Is it sweated or sweat?
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In most cases you can use sweated or sweat as the past tense and past participle of the verb sweat.
Most dictionaries allow either to be used, but some restrict sweat in the past tense to the physical phenomenon of perspiration (i.e., you can’t use sweat in the past tense to mean “work vigorously”).
Sweated is also an adjective that describes something that has been sweated (e.g., “Sweated onions are one of my favorite ingredients”).
You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you’re using the past tense of sweat correctly.
- Is sweated a word?
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Sweated is the past tense and past participle of the regular verb sweat. Some dictionaries allow sweat instead of sweated, making it an irregular verb.
Sweated can be used to mean “perspired” (e.g., “They sweated in the humid air”), or to mean “exerted a lot of effort” (e.g., “Jen and Sally sweated their revision for the finals”).
Sweated is also an adjective describing something that has been sweated (e.g., “The garlic and sweated onions should be mixed together”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using the past tense of sweat correctly.
