tear gas

[ teer ]
See synonyms for tear gas on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a gas that makes the eyes smart and water, thus producing a temporary blindness, used in modern warfare, to quell riots, etc.

Origin of tear gas

1
First recorded in 1915–20

Words Nearby tear gas

Other definitions for tear-gas (2 of 2)

tear-gas
[ teer-gas ]

verb (used with object),tear-gassed, tear-gas·sing.
  1. to subject to tear gas.

Origin of tear-gas

2
First recorded in 1945–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tear gas in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tear gas

tear gas

/ (tɪə) /


noun
  1. 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: Also called: lacrimator

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