chemical weapon

[kem-i-kuhl wep-uhn]

noun

1. any poisonous, asphyxiating, or corrosive chemical agent designed or intended to incapacitate, harm, or kill a targeted military or civilian group. CW

Word History and Origins

Origin of chemical weapon¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

"The United States remains fully committed to hold to account those responsible for contributing to chemical weapons proliferation," Bruce added.

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American military leaders’ position was that herbicides did not constitute chemical weapons under the Geneva Protocol, which the U.S. had yet to ratify.

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In the memoir, he carefully chronicles his great-grandfather’s unsavory involvement in Nazi chemical weapons research and gas mask development.

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This comes after years of Republican lawmakers banging the drums of war against the narcos south of the border, even describing illicit fentanyl, an opioid used daily in hospitals for surgery, as a "chemical weapon."

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Earlier this week, Syria's foreign minister told the global chemical weapons watchdog that the new government was committed to destroying any remaining stockpiles produced under-Assad.

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