Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

nerve gas

American  

noun

  1. any of several poison gases, derived chiefly from phosphoric acid, that weaken or paralyze the nervous system, especially that part of the system controlling respiration.

nerve gas British  

noun

  1. (esp in chemical warfare) any of various poisonous gases that have a potentially fatal paralysing effect on the central nervous system

"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
nerve gas Scientific  

  1. Any of various poisonous gases that interfere with the functioning of nerves by inhibiting the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Increased levels of acetylcholine stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to cardiac and respiratory arrest.

Etymology

Origin of nerve gas

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

They showed they could dye a military uniform black with the melanin, and that it would absorb the nerve gas.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2023

Mr. Krepon wrote that one of his best moments on the Hill was helping persuade Hicks in 1974 to block the Army from spending funds on a new generation of nerve gas weapons.

From Washington Post • Jul. 19, 2022

Chlorpyrifos is part of a class of chemicals developed as a nerve gas by Nazi Germany during World War II, but it was approved as a pesticide in the United States in 1965.

From Salon • Sep. 25, 2020

Findings published January 2 in Science Translational Medicine describe a nanoscavenger that disables both pesticide and nerve gas OP compounds, and persists much longer than other candidates while evading by “stealth” the recipient’s immune system.

From Scientific American • Jan. 8, 2019

Most newspapers focus on ldevelopments in the investigation of the nerve gas attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2018

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.