What is the figurative meaning of sweating?

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2022

sweat /swɛt/USA pronunciation   v., sweat or sweat•ed, sweat•ing, n. 
v. 

1. Physiology to perspire, esp. freely:[no object]He was sweating and his temperature was very high.
2. to gather moisture from the surrounding air by condensation:[no object]The cold glass was sweating in the hot room.
3. Informal Terms[no object]
   • to work hard.
   • to be anxious or distressed
4. Physiology[~ + object] to cause (a person, a horse, etc.) to perspire.
5. sweat off, to get rid of (weight) by or as if by sweating: [~ + off + object]trying to sweat off a few pounds.[~ + object + off]trying to sweat a few pounds off.
6. sweat out, [Informal.]to await anxiously the outcome of: [~ + out + object]The election is over; now we just have to sweat out the results.[~ + object + out]to sweat the ordeal out.

1. the moisture released from sweat glands;
   perspiration:[uncountable]Sweat was pouring down his face.
2. hard work:[uncountable]Blood, sweat, and tears went into this house.
3. Informal Termsa state of anxiety or impatience:[countable* usually singular]He was really in a sweat awaiting the results.
4. Informal Terms, Clothing sweats, [plural] sweatpants, sweatshirts, sweat suits, or the like.

sweat  (swet),USA pronunciation v., sweat or sweat•ed, sweat•ing, n., adj. 
v.i. 

1. Physiologyto perspire, esp. freely or profusely.
2. to exude moisture, as green plants piled in a heap or cheese.
3. to gather moisture from the surrounding air by condensation.
4. (of moisture or liquid) to ooze or be exuded.
5. Informal Termsto work hard.
6. Informal Termsto experience distress, as from anxiety.
7. (of tobacco) to ferment.

1. Physiologyto excrete (perspiration, moisture, etc.) through the pores of the skin.
2. to exude in drops or small particles:The drying figs sweat tiny drops of moisture.
3. to send forth or get rid of with or like perspiration (often fol. by out or off).
4. to wet or stain with perspiration.
5. Physiologyto cause (a person, a horse, etc.) to perspire.
6. to cause to exude moisture, esp. as a step in an industrial drying process:to sweat wood.
7. to earn, produce, or obtain (a result, promotion, compliment, etc.) by hard work.
8. Physiologyto cause to lose (weight) as by perspiring or hard work:The hard week's work sweated five pounds off him.
9. to cause, force, or bring pressure on (a person, an animal, etc.) to work hard.
10. to employ (workers) at low wages, for long hours, or under other unfavorable conditions.
11. to labor with meticulous care over:The manufacturer of this beautiful car has really sweated the details.
12. Slang Terms
    • to obtain or extort (money) from someone.
    • to extort money from;
      fleece.
13. Slang Termsto subject to severe questioning;
    give the third degree to.
14. Metallurgy
    • to heat (an alloy) in order to remove a constituent melting at a lower temperature than the alloy as a whole.
    • to heat (solder or the like) to melting.
    • to join (metal objects) by heating and pressing together, usually with solder.
15. to remove bits of metal from (gold coins) by shaking them against one another, as in a bag. Cf. clip 1 (def. 4).
16. to cause (tobacco or cocoa) to ferment.
17. Informal Terms no sweat, with no difficulty or problem.
18. Informal Terms sweat blood:
    • to be under a strain;
      work strenuously.
    • to wait anxiously;
      worry:He was sweating blood while his friend was being questioned by the police.
19. sweat bullets, [Informal.]
    • to sweat profusely.
    • to be apprehensive;
      worry.
20. Informal Terms sweat it:
    • to wait anxiously;
      endure the best way one can:There was no news of survivors, so all we could do was sweat it.
    • to worry;
      be apprehensive:You'll do OK, so don't sweat it.
21. Informal Terms sweat out:
    • to await anxiously the outcome of;
      endure apprehensively:The accused sweated out the jury's deliberation.
    • to work arduously at or toward:The director sweated out a camera angle with the cinematographer.

1. Physiologythe process of sweating or perspiring.
2. Physiologythat which is secreted from sweat glands;
   perspiration.
3. Physiologya state or a period of sweating.
4. hard work.
5. Informal Termsa state of anxiety or impatience.
6. a process of inducing sweating or perspiration, or of being sweated, as in medical treatment.
7. moisture exuded from something or gathered on a surface.
8. an exuding of moisture, as by a substance.
9. an inducing of such exudation, as in some industrial process.
10. a run given to a horse for exercise, as before a race.
11. Informal Terms, Clothing sweats, sweatpants, sweatshirts, sweat suits, or the like.

1. Clothing, Informal Terms, Informal Terms[Informal.]
   • (of clothes) made to be worn for exercise, sports, or other physical activity.
   • made of the absorbent fabric used for such clothes:sweat dresses.
   • of, for, or associated with such clothes:the sweat look in sportswear.

• bef. 900; 1970–75 for def. 6; (verb, verbal) Middle English sweten, Old English swǣtan to sweat, derivative of swāt (noun, nominal) ( obsolete English swote); (noun, nominal) Middle English, alteration of swote, influenced by the verb, verbal; cognate with Dutch zweet, German Schweiss, Old Norse sveiti, Sanskrit svedas; akin to Latin sūdor, Greek hidró̄s

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sweat /swɛt/ n

1. the secretion from the sweat glands, esp when profuse and visible, as during strenuous activity, from excessive heat, etc; commonly also called perspiration
2. the act or process of secreting this fluid
3. the act of inducing the exudation of moisture
4. drops of moisture given forth or gathered on the surface of something
5. informal a state or condition of worry or eagerness (esp in the phrase in a sweat)
6. slang drudgery or hard labour: mowing lawns is a real sweat!
7. slang chiefly Brit a soldier, esp one who is old and experienced
8. no sweat! ⇒ (interjection) slang an expression suggesting that something can be done without problems or difficulty