: a solid, liquid, or gaseous substance that on dispersion in the atmosphere irritates mucous membranes resulting especially in blinding of the eyes with tears and that is used chiefly (as by the police and the military) to disperse large crowds of people
variants
or tear gas
or less commonly teargas
tear-gassed or tear gassed also teargassed; tear-gassing or tear gassing also teargassing; tear-gases or tear gasses also teargasses
: to use tear gas on
The troops then tear-gassed the crowd of several hundred, mostly teenagers and young men, which scattered in great confusion, but re-formed later.—
Roger Daniels
Roger DanielsExamples of tear gas in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
In Los Angeles this summer, officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds during several nights of demonstrations.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
One snake got tear-gassed by police, then shot at five times, and still escaped—only to finally meet its match with a garden hoe (obviously).
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear gas
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Noun
Federal law enforcement agents deployed pepper balls and tear gas Friday during a standoff with anti-ICE protesters outside of Chicago.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
In Los Angeles this summer, officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds during several nights of demonstrations.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
In June 2022, Luis Berkman was sentenced to 38 months in the Bolivian tear-gas case, but it was later reduced to 32 months for his cooperation.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
One snake got tear-gassed by police, then shot at five times, and still escaped—only to finally meet its match with a garden hoe (obviously).
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear gas
Cite this Entry
“Tear gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20gas. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
teargas
1 of 2 verb
tear·gas
ˈti(ə)r-ˌgas 
: to use tear gas on
tear gas
2 of 2 noun
: any of various substances that cause eye irritation and blind the eyes with tears when released into the air and that are used mostly to scatter mobs
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