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definitions

pepper spray

|

noun

an aerosol spray that temporarily irritates the eyes and mucous membranes, used to stun and incapacitate a person or animal: police use of pepper spray to control rioters.

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Nearby words

  1. pepper game,
  2. pepper mill,
  3. pepper pot,
  4. pepper shaker,
  5. pepper spot,
  6. pepper steak,
  7. pepper tree,
  8. pepper-and-salt,
  9. pepper-box,
  10. pepper-pot

Origin of pepper spray

First recorded in 1985–90; the active ingredient is capsaicin, extracted from capsicum peppers
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pepper spray

  • He turned it and let the door crash open as two cops in riot-visors came through, pepper-spray at the fore.

    Makers|Cory Doctorow

  • It was a little stainless-steel aerosol canister that looked for all the world like a pepper-spray self-defense unit.

    Little Brother|Cory Doctorow

  • The cops were running for them, batons out, pepper-spray out.

    Makers|Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for pepper spray

pepper spray

noun

a defence spray agent derived from hot cayenne peppers, which causes temporary blindness and breathing difficulty, sometimes used to control riots
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