tear gas
noun
a gas that makes the eyes smart and water, thus producing a temporary blindness, used in modern warfare, to quell riots, etc.
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tear gas
1 American
[teer]
/ tɪər /
noun
tear-gas
2
American
[teer-gas]
/ ˈtɪərˌgæs /
verb (used with object)
tear-gassed,
tear-gassing
tear gas
British
/ tɪə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of tear gas1
First recorded in 1915–20
Origin of tear-gas2
First recorded in 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"There were around 150 of us, mostly secondary school and university students. Then the tear gas came almost immediately. You could barely see anything in the street," said one protester in France's third-largest city.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Police fired tear gas to disperse about 150 people protesting in the southeastern city of Lyon, in an area banned to all demonstrations, an AFP journalist saw.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Such “riotous situations” necessitated the use of tear gas against crowds, he said, something the department hadn’t done in decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
In the past, passion has boiled over to the point where police have fired tear gas into the crowds.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The tear gas had nothing to do with me or the music.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Apart from a few tear-gas skirmishes, the demonstrations ended peacefully.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
In the confrontation that followed, one of the agents tossed a tear-gas canister, which an employee kicked under their vehicle, enveloping it with noxious fumes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
At the Capitol, he said a tear-gas canister exploded near him, causing him to don his respirator, and soon, “I became part of the problem. I became part of the mob.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 21, 2023
Riddle, as well as a San Diego pediatrician I consulted, said that the treatment for tear-gas exposure is the same for pretty much anybody.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2020
The gun rack, set between two of the eight windows, held a Remington shotgun, a Colt AR-15 assault rifle, a tear-gas gun, and many rounds of ammunition.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
During the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Mr Lai would join the tear-gassed crowds and listen to protesters before returning to the newsroom to direct coverage.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2023
Mayor Ted Wheeler sided with protesters, at one point standing alongside black-clad demonstrators as they were tear-gassed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2023
“Just got tear-gassed, but we’re good, baby, we’re good! We’re pushing forward now!”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2021
They were tear-gassed, so the women were joined by a line dads armed with leaf blowers to disperse the gas.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2020
Thackeray reminisced at length about being tear-gassed blind in the November 1969 antiwar protests in Washington Circle, covering them for her college paper.
From The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier by Bruce Sterling
“I actually think we could be promoting COVID-19 by tear-gassing protesters,” said Balmes.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 8, 2020
She oversaw punitive operations along the southern border that included the tear-gassing of hundreds of desperate would-be refugees near the San Ysidro border crossing.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2019
State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, who represents Ferguson and live-tweeted her tear-gassing by police, is one of 10 Democrats outnumbered by 24 Republicans.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2014
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
