noun · 1 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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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈswɛt əv wɒnz ˈbɹaʊ/
General-American:/ˈswɛt əv wʌnz ˈbɹaʊ/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -aʊ
1
noun
Meaning 1
The effort extended in (often manual) labour, and the value created thereby.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sweat of one's brows, sweat of one's face
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
A reference to Genesis 3:17 and 19 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “And unto Adam he [God] said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, ... In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground: ...”, meaning that due to disobedience to God, humans would henceforth have to exert labour for their food, causing their brows or foreheads to perspire.
Across languages
Translations
14 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Dutch:
in het zweet zijns aanschijns
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Finnish:
hiellä ja vaivalla
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Finnish:
otsa hiessä
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
French:
à la sueur de son front
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Galician:
suor da túa fronte
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
German:
im Schweiße seines Angesichts
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Italian:
col sudore della fronte
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Norwegian Bokmål:
ens ansikts sved
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Persian:
عرق جبین
(araq-e jabin)
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Polish:
w pocie czoła
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Portuguese:
com o suor do seu rosto
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Russian:
в по́те лица́
(v póte licá)
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Russian:
в по́те лица́ своего́
(v póte licá svojevó)
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
Swedish:
i sitt anletes svett
— effort extended in labour, and the value created thereby
