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chemical weapon

American

[kem-i-kuhl wep-uhn] / ˈkɛm ɪ kəl ˈwɛp ən /

noun

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

Etymology

Origin of chemical weapon

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

Given there are safer and more conventional riot-control agents available to police, an obsolete and more potent agent could be classed as a chemical weapon, according to weapons experts consulted by the BBC.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025

To make its powerful chemical weapon, the organism had to solve a problem.

From Science Daily • Nov. 13, 2023

Because it has legal uses, white phosphorus is not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions, but it can cause serious burns and start fires.

From Reuters • Oct. 12, 2023

Last Friday, the US destroyed its last chemical weapon at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky.

From NewsForKids.net • Jul. 11, 2023

Having thus shown the independence of the chemical weapon, under conditions of limitation of armament, we are faced with an important question.

From The Riddle of the Rhine; chemical strategy in peace and war by Lefebure, Victor

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