Phrase guide

sweat equity

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An investment of labour, typically by the owner and often his or her family, usually in a small business or personal residence that increases the value of the business or residence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, idiomatic, uncountable

Topics: business, real-estate

Examples

  • My wife and I have put a lot of sweat equity into our home: I did the renovations and she did the redecorating.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

interest in a building that a tenant earns by contributing to its renovation or maintenance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: equity

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.