First recorded in 1915–20
First recorded in 1945–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When tear gas landed nearby, he reached for his phone instead of leaving.
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 launch of limited edition Swatch watches descended into chaos Saturday in several European cities and New York, with French police firing tear gas to restore order at one store near Paris.
From Barron's ● May 16, 2026
“John cleared a tear gas canister away from everyone,” Johnson said, pushing back on the government’s account and adding that tear gas had been deployed indiscriminately by law enforcement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
He should ask Harrison about tear gas now, but instead he said, “Let me show you my new room in the Boys’ Quarters.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
This prompted police to fire tear-gas cannisters to try and stop the procession, which affected traffic.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2024
News outlets around the world converged on Waco as the raid turned into a weeks-long standoff that ended on April 19, 1993, when federal agents launched a tear-gas attack to force out the Branch Davidians.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2023
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
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
Lindsey said on video, “They tear-gassed this area so I’m sneezing,” according to court records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
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
“Just got tear-gassed, but we’re good, baby, we’re good! We’re pushing forward now!”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2021
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 Sterling, Bruce
“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.
