perspire

/pərˈspaɪər/

/pəˈspaɪə/

Other forms: perspiring; perspired; perspires

To perspire is to sweat: to excrete perspiration through the pores in your skin.

Whenever little drops of moisture appear on your skin, you're perspiring or sweating. People sweat when they're nervous, when it's hot out, and when they're doing a lot of exercise. If you watch people playing a strenuous sport like basketball, they will be perspiring. Perspiring is one way your body cools itself off, so sweating is a good thing, even though it can make you feel gross. Some animals — like dogs — can't perspire, so it's harder for them to cool off.

Definitions of perspire

1. verb

   excrete perspiration through the pores in the skin
   synonyms: sudate, sweat

   types:

   swelter

   suffer from intense heat

   type of:

   egest, eliminate, excrete, pass

   eliminate from the body