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Showing results for tear gas. Search instead for Teargas.
Synonyms

tear gas

1 American  
[teer] / tɪər /

noun

  1. a gas that makes the eyes smart and water, thus producing a temporary blindness, used in modern warfare, to quell riots, etc.

tear-gas 2 American  
[teer-gas] / ˈtɪərˌgæs /

verb (used with object)

tear-gassed, tear-gassing

  1. to subject to tear gas.

tear gas British  
/ tɪə /

noun

  1. Also called: lacrimator.  any one of a number of gases or vapours that make the eyes smart and water, causing temporary blindness; usually dispersed from grenades and used in warfare and to control riots

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

It added that the claim that tear gas was deliberately fired into the hospital "does not correspond to the facts".

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

The defeated proposal sought to bar the LAPD’s use of two types of military weapons — tear gas and so-called 40-millimeter less-lethal launchers — at protests, but also for everyday patrols and other special events.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

CS gas - often referred to as "tear gas" - was used as a replacement.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025

The government’s lawyer, Sean Skedzielewski, said agents had warned protesters before deploying tear gas in the one incident he had been briefed on and the judge shouldn’t change her order based on one-sided accounts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

None of the soldiers have dust bombs or tear gas.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.