swelter

1 of 2

verb

swel·​ter ˈswel-tər How to pronounce swelter (audio)
sweltered; sweltering ˈswel-t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce swelter (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to suffer, sweat, or be faint from heat
2
: to become exceedingly hot
in summer, the place swelters

transitive verb

1
: to oppress with heat
2
archaic : exude
sweltered venomWilliam Shakespeare

swelter

2 of 2

noun

1
: a state of oppressive heat
2
: welter
3
: an excited or overwrought state of mind : sweat
in a swelter

Examples of swelter in a Sentence

Verb We were sweltering in the summer heat. Noun the set designer spent the entire week before opening night in a swelter
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
This is the driest place in America, a place famous for sweltering 120-degree summers, a place whose very name suggests inhospitableness. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 On the heels of Earth’s warmest year on record, Clark believes the sweltering temperatures could have something to do with climate change. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024 During cold winters or sweltering summers, keep your home at a comfortable temperature without touching the thermostat and ultimately without affecting your electric or gas bills. Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2024 Residents living in sweltering summer heat complained about having to wait through an extra hour of sunlight. Terry Tang, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024 For 46 sweltering days this summer, Miami sizzled under heat index temperatures that topped 100 degrees every afternoon. Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The film, which world premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, is set in an unnamed Arabian Gulf country and follows an Indian family that endures a tragedy when their daughter is neglected on a school bus in the sweltering desert heat. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 3 Mar. 2024 And while these drink recipes will quench your thirst on a sweltering day, all are equally welcome on a chilly winter night, to transport you to an afternoon under the Italian sun. Carly Westerfield, Bon Appétit, 2 Mar. 2024 As anyone who lives in the South knows, cold winters call for warm households, but temperature regulation is needed year-round, especially in the summer when the sweltering sun begs for cool homes. Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2024
Noun
But the swelter of the room ceased to exist when Griffiths stood up to read. Kaitlyn Greenidge, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 Aug. 2023 Although the temperature on the day of the 1963 March may have been lower than Saturday’s, many factors may have contributed to the sense of swelter recalled by participants in the original event. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2023 The failure of humidity to reach the stickiness of peak swelter showed up in the heat index, often regarded as an indicator of how things actually feel. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2023 Each side can make five subs per game at the 2023 World Cup, with an extra sixth sub reserved for players who suffer a head injury and must be removed. – While much of the world swelters, Auckland is feeling a bit chilly. Sean Gregory, Time, 19 July 2023 Washington’s heat only grazed the heights of scorch on Saturday, but the humidity helped the day approach the state of a significant summer swelter. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 July 2023 An uncrowded spot to shake the swelter, and come away wanting to save the planet. Britt Kennerly, USA TODAY, 5 July 2023 Although Sunday was only the second day of July, the high temperature in Washington, combined with the day’s soggy air and high humidity seemed to be leading us deep into summer and its typical swelter. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 3 July 2023 State-by-state average temperature trends from 1990 to 2020 show America's summer swelter is increasing more in some of the places that just got baked with extreme heat over the past week: California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Colorado. Seth Borenstein, Star Tribune, 4 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swelter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English sweltren, frequentative of swelten to die, be overcome by heat, from Old English sweltan to die; akin to Goth swiltan to die

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swelter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near swelter

Cite this Entry

“Swelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swelter. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swelter

1 of 2 verb
swel·​ter ˈswel-tər How to pronounce swelter (audio)
sweltered; sweltering -t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce swelter (audio)
1
: to suffer, sweat, or be faint from heat
2
: to overcome with heat

swelter

2 of 2 noun
: a state of great heat

More from Merriam-Webster on swelter

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