poison gas

noun

1. any of various toxic gases, especially those used in chemical warfare to kill or incapacitate on inhalation or contact, as phosgene, chlorine, etc.

poison gas

noun

1. a gaseous substance, such as chlorine, phosgene, or lewisite, used in warfare to kill or harm

Word History and Origins

Origin of poison gas¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Another unfounded allegation, that Thailand had dropped poison gas, was accompanied by an image of a water bomber dropping pink fire retardant.

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Over the course of the movie, he’s nearly murdered a half-dozen times by bullets, bombs, poison gas and a good old-fashioned clobbering.

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In Ankara, Siegfried became co-director of a gas mask factory, a joint Turkish-German enterprise next door to a poison gas laboratory.

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Auschwitz and the Holocaust didn't begin with poison gas.

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Before we walk into a room, we like to be fairly certain of what we’ll find — walls, floor, furniture, not hot coals or clouds of poison gas.

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Related Words

• mustard gas