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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.

Thousands gathered in the streets of the capital Islamabad, many holding photos of late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, with AFP witnessing police deploy tear gas to disperse crowds near the US embassy.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

SRG doesn’t use tear gas or shoot “pepper balls” or rubber bullets as seen in other cities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 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

The defeated proposal sought to bar the LAPD’s use of two types of military weapons — tear gas and so-called 40-millimeter less-lethal launchers — at protests, but also for everyday patrols and other special events.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

Doctors and nurses administered first aid for cuts and bruises and the effects of tear gas as marchers lay moaning and weeping on couches, chairs and the floor.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

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.