gas mask

American

noun

a masklike device containing or attached to a component that filters the air inhaled by the wearer through charcoal and chemicals, for protecting the face and lungs against noxious gases and fumes, as in warfare or in certain industrial processes.

gas mask British

noun

Also called (in Britain): respirator. a mask fitted with a chemical filter to enable the wearer to breathe air free of poisonous or corrosive gases: used for military or industrial purposes

"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 gas mask

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.

See Examples For:

gas mask

While preparing for an interview for the “Smoglandia” podcast, she obligingly went looking through her things and, sure enough, found her gas mask.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

A man wearing all black and a gas mask was tackled and pushed to the ground by police before he was handcuffed and taken away.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2025

He also keeps a gas mask, helmet and body armor on hand, he said, just in case.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025

Some diehard fans, after catching a glimpse of Usagi in the trailer wearing a gas mask on the subway, have speculated at least one game might be inspired by a side story from the manga.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025

Mayinga was cared for by a South African doctor named Margaretha Isaacson, who at first wore a military gas mask, but it became increasingly uncomfortable in the tropical heat.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

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