laughing gas
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of laughing gas
First recorded in 1835–45
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.
The centers are also adding nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, for intrauterine device insertions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
Nitrous oxide – known colloquially as "laughing gas" – has many uses, from a painkiller during dental procedures to a whipping agent for canned whipped cream.
From BBC • May 27, 2025
Eutrophication and acidification are some of the environmental problems that can be traced to the use of ammonia -- as well as emissions of laughing gas, which is a very potent greenhouse gas.
From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2024
It’s a little like “Mad Max” on laughing gas.
From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2023
The aroma was like laughing gas in the dentist’s chair—it made everything else go away.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
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.
