tear gas
noun
a gas that makes the eyes smart and water, thus producing a temporary blindness, used in modern warfare, to quell riots, etc.
tear gas
1 American
[teer]
/ tɪər /
noun
tear-gas
2
American
[teer-gas]
/ ˈtɪərˌgæs /
verb (used with object)
tear-gassed,
tear-gassing
tear gas
British
/ tɪə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of tear gas1
First recorded in 1915–20
Origin of tear-gas2
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
See Examples For:
ICE agents then deployed tear gas into the home and took the men and their partners into custody, according to the documents and other court records.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
When less-lethal weapons proved ineffective, the department deployed tear gas on two occasions, June 8 and 14, to disperse “violent groups” and restore order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
And when they turned to humour, it was almost always self-directed: joking about the kilometres logged fleeing baton charges or the absurdity of filming an outfit reveal moments before running into tear gas.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Police in Kenya have fired tear gas to break up a protest in the central town of Nanyuki against the construction of an Ebola quarantine centre for US citizens.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
The tear gas lingers and drifts like smoke.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
Officials said they had seized three tear-gas canisters and a blank rifle round during their searches of his home and office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2025
The announcement comes after Caputo, a former campaign aide to President Trump, faced criticism on Sunday for a series of aggressive, late-night tweets suggesting people tear-gas journalists and arguing with other users.
From Fox News ● Sep. 16, 2020
Riddle, as well as a San Diego pediatrician I consulted, said that the treatment for tear-gas exposure is the same for pretty much anybody.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2020
"We teachers can't do anything about that," said Raymond Yeung, a 30-year-old liberal studies teacher who was partially blinded in one eye when he was hit by a tear-gas canister at a protest last year.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 6, 2020
The gun rack, set between two of the eight windows, held a Remington shotgun, a Colt AR-15 assault rifle, a tear-gas gun, and many rounds of ammunition.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
I have never dropped bombs or tear-gassed anyone.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
Mayor Ted Wheeler sided with protesters, at one point standing alongside black-clad demonstrators as they were tear-gassed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2023
The French government initially blamed Liverpool fans and fake tickets for the crowd chaos that led to supporters being tear-gassed and robbed.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2022
Authorities also recently agreed to settle lawsuits involving a protester shoved to the ground in New York and a group that was tear-gassed in Richmond.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2022
Thackeray reminisced at length about being tear-gassed blind in the November 1969 antiwar protests in Washington Circle, covering them for her college paper.
From The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier by Bruce Sterling
“I actually think we could be promoting COVID-19 by tear-gassing protesters,” said Balmes.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 8, 2020
She oversaw punitive operations along the southern border that included the tear-gassing of hundreds of desperate would-be refugees near the San Ysidro border crossing.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2019
State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, who represents Ferguson and live-tweeted her tear-gassing by police, is one of 10 Democrats outnumbered by 24 Republicans.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2014
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.
