sweat means A player who takes every match extremely seriously — perfect meta builds, no fun allowed. It's mostly used in gaming and streaming culture. It's casual and generally safe with friends and online. It's standard online vocabulary; nothing inherently concerning about hearing it.
sweat
A player who takes every match extremely seriously — perfect meta builds, no fun allowed.
swetDocumented since 2010s2010sGen AlphatrendingCurrent925 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~2018 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Playin a little Quickie to finish the weekly missions and for some reason the enemies kept feeding themselves to my bullets. #RainbowSixSiege #R6S #FPS #Tactical #Shooter #Finka #Stadium #Sweat www.twitch.tv/ThatCh…
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Wikipedia: Perspiration
Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals.
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Wikipedia: Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for combining a brass section with rock band instrumentation.
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Wikipedia: Perspiration
Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands.
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Wikipedia: Blood, Sweat & Tears
The group's second album, Blood, Sweat & Tears, spent seven weeks atop the U.
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Definitions
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#1·Apr 23, 2026INTERNETCasual
A player who takes every match extremely seriously — perfect meta builds, no fun allowed. "Sweaty" describes their playstyle. Usually a mild insult.
"It's a casual ranked night, stop sweating with a team-comp spreadsheet."
Origin: From Fortnite community ~2018 — good players "sweating" to win.
For parents
sweat means A player who takes every match extremely seriously — perfect meta builds, no fun allowed. It's mostly used in gaming and streaming culture. It's casual and generally safe with friends and online. It's standard online vocabulary; nothing inherently concerning about hearing it.
For ESL learners
"sweat" is slang. It means: A player who takes every match extremely seriously — perfect meta builds, no fun allowed. Register: casual. Use it in: casual conversation and online posts. Avoid in: formal writing and professional emails.
Cluster: gaming
Heard in the wild
“Playin a little Quickie to finish the weekly missions and for some reason the enemies kept feeding themselves to my bullets. #RainbowSixSiege #R6S #FPS #Tactical #Shooter #Finka #Stadium #Sweat www.twitch.tv/ThatChristGuy”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals.”
“Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for combining a brass section with rock band instrumentation.”
“Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands.”
“The group's second album, Blood, Sweat & Tears, spent seven weeks atop the U.”
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#9·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
Fluid that exits the body through pores in the skin usually due to physical stress and/or high temperature for the purpose of regulating body temperature and removing certain compounds from the circulation.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Show 17 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
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#2·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
The state of one who is sweating; diaphoresis.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#3·May 2, 2026INTERNETWork-OK
To worry about (something).
Cluster: annoyed
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#4·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To cause to excrete moisture through skin.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#5·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
A short run by a racehorse as a form of exercise.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#6·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To extract money, labour, etc. from, by exaction or oppression.
Cluster: work
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#7·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To have drops of water form on (something's surface) due to moisture condensation.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#8·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To take a racehorse for a short exercise run.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#10·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
Moisture issuing from any substance.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#11·May 2, 2026INTERNETCasual
An extremely or excessively competitive player.
Cluster: gaming
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#12·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
The sweating sickness.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#13·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To remove a portion of (a coin), as by shaking it with others in a bag, so that the friction wears off a small quantity of the metal.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#14·May 2, 2026INTERNETWork-OK
To stress out, to put under pressure.
Cluster: annoyed
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#15·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To cook slowly at low heat, in shallow oil and without browning, to reduce moisture content.
Cluster: food
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#16·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
A soldier (especially one who is old or experienced).<!-- compare http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sweat and sources at old sweat -->
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#17·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To suffer a penalty; to smart for one's misdeeds.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#18·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To emit, in the manner of sweat.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#19·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To solder (a pipe joint) together.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🎮About Gaming slang
Gaming slang across genres — from OP, nerf, and buff to carry, clutch, jungle, and wombo combo. The lingo of esports, streamers, and ranked lobbies everywhere.
See all Gaming slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "sweat" (S)
swarmingswartbackswarthaakswassswayamsevakswear downsweat arcsweat checksweat codedsweat coresweat energysweater
Browse all slang words starting with S.
Related terms
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Semantically related
- sweaty78%
Trying excessively hard at a competitive game; over-serious. Pejorative.
- sweaty76%
Extremely (and possibly inappropriately) obsessed with winning.
- mega sweat76%
A mega sweat is someone whose tryhard behaviour has surpassed all reasonable competitive benchmarks and entered the realm of the genuinely alarming. This isn't someone who tries hard in ranked — this is someone who brings full ranked intensity to every single interaction, including modes explicitly designed to be casual. A mega sweat in a party game is a social crime. In a competitive setting they're either carrying the team or making everyone miserable, sometimes both.
- sweater75%
In gaming slang, a sweater is someone who sweats — a tryhard player who pours maximum effort into every match as if their livelihood depends on it. The word hijacks the mundane clothing term entirely, letting players call someone a sweater with a straight face while meaning something entirely different. A sweater doesn't take breaks, queues endlessly, studies patch notes obsessively, and somehow makes casual play feel like a ranked qualifier. The term is used with mild contempt, mild admiration, and a lot of exhaustion.