sweat equity
noun
: equity in a property resulting from labor invested in improvements that increase its value
also : the labor so invested
Example Sentences
He's built up a lot of sweat equity in his house. He put countless hours of sweat equity into that old house.
Recent Examples on the Web After two years of fundraising, designing and sweat equity, the monument was dedicated this year on Memorial Day. 
Cathy Free, Washington Post, 26 July 2022 Before the surge, the woman born Amerylus Cooper had put days and nights of sweat equity into opening the center. Kenan Draughornestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2022 Brooks performed for about two-and-a-half hours with his band, displaying ample sweat equity on stage. Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 4 June 2022 Career success doesn’t have to come at the expense of sweat equity, burnout or loss of mental or physical health. Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 1 June 2022 Zhou speculated that a new agent could come into the real estate market and use sweat equity to make a living almost immediately, depending on their individual work ethic. Amiah Taylor, Fortune, 5 May 2022 The model for young chefs was once to find a small spot in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Boston or Cambridge, add sweat equity and dreams, and build a business. Alison Arnett, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2022 On arrival, students began building up some sweat equity in their education by carting everything in. Laura Blasey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2022 All three had been in the building since the nineteen-nineties, when sweat equity was still expected of new residents. Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2021 See More
Cathy Free, Washington Post, 26 July 2022 Before the surge, the woman born Amerylus Cooper had put days and nights of sweat equity into opening the center. Kenan Draughornestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2022 Brooks performed for about two-and-a-half hours with his band, displaying ample sweat equity on stage. Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 4 June 2022 Career success doesn’t have to come at the expense of sweat equity, burnout or loss of mental or physical health. Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 1 June 2022 Zhou speculated that a new agent could come into the real estate market and use sweat equity to make a living almost immediately, depending on their individual work ethic. Amiah Taylor, Fortune, 5 May 2022 The model for young chefs was once to find a small spot in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Boston or Cambridge, add sweat equity and dreams, and build a business. Alison Arnett, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2022 On arrival, students began building up some sweat equity in their education by carting everything in. Laura Blasey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2022 All three had been in the building since the nineteen-nineties, when sweat equity was still expected of new residents. Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1950, in the meaning defined above