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Synonyms

tear gas

1 American  
[teer] / tɪər /

noun

  1. a gas that makes the eyes smart and water, thus producing a temporary blindness, used in modern warfare, to quell riots, etc.

tear-gas 2 American  
[teer-gas] / ˈtɪərˌgæs /

verb (used with object)

tear-gassed, tear-gassing

  1. to subject to tear gas.

tear gas British  
/ tɪə /

noun

  1. Also called: lacrimator.  any one of a number of gases or vapours that make the eyes smart and water, causing temporary blindness; usually dispersed from grenades and used in warfare and 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

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.

Police fired tear gas at the protesters who dispersed, the AFP journalist saw.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

During a protest that evening, Sahar and her friends sought refuge in a nearby house after tear gas was fired.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

Unemployed WWI veterans marched on Washington in 1932 to demand bonuses, only to have their encampments dispersed with tanks and tear gas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Agents have set off tear gas canisters without giving a heads-up to Chicago police.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025

Ugwu was puzzled at first, before he realized that Harrison did not know what tear gas was either but would never admit it.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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.