pepper spray

American  

noun

pepper sprays plural

1. 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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pepper spray British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pepper sprays
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pepper spray

First recorded in 1985–90; the active ingredient is capsaicin, extracted from capsicum peppers

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pepper spray

Whether the substance was tear gas — which, incidentally, is a powder, not a gas — or pepper spray is unclear.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

“Rather than move immediately to pepper spray, you can arrest the person.”

From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2026

Border Patrol’s Use of Force policy permits officers to deploy “less-lethal devices,” including pepper spray, for crowd control when protesters act violently or aggressively in ways that suggest they could physically injure officers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

A third agent, trying to be helpful, gropes for pepper spray on his tactical vest.

From Slate ● Jan. 23, 2026

I knew exactly where my pepper spray was — still in my duffle bag under the bed, never unpacked.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer