chemical weapon

noun

|Updated on: 26 Jul 2018

Definition of chemical weapon

: a weapon (such as mustard gas or sarin) used in chemical warfare

Recent Examples of chemical weapon from the Web

The 22-page memo from the Office of Legal Counsel says the president acted within his legal authority as commander-in-chief to protect vital national interests — stopping the spread of chemical weapons and preventing a humanitarian catastrophe.

— gregory korte, USA TODAY, "Trump lawyers: Syria missile strikes were legal because they weren't 'war'," 1 June 2018
Nerve agents such as sarin or VX have been the main components of chemical weapons for 60 years and, for obvious reasons, are closely controlled substances.

— owen matthews, Newsweek, "Has Vladimir Putin Lost Control of Russia’s Assassins?," 12 Mar. 2018
The couple, Charley Rowley, 45, and Dawn Sturgess, 44, remain in the hospital in critical condition after being exposed to what officials believe may be the same chemical weapon used in the March attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter.

— kaitlyn schallhorn, Fox News, "UK police officer seeks medical treatment in connection with nerve agent attack, hospital says," 7 July 2018
Scientists were trying to create a weapon more powerful and harder to detect than existing chemical weapons.

— ciara nugent, Time, "'There Will Be Severe Pain.' What to Know About the New Novichok Nerve Agent Poisoning in the U.K.," 5 July 2018
This would allow the Soviet Union to get around the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibit the stockpiling of chemical weapons and precursors.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Second Novichok poisoning in Britain raises alarm, questions over contamination," 5 July 2018
The two collapsed after visiting Salisbury, the same town where former Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were attacked with the chemical weapon back in March.

— rachel becker, The Verge, "Novichok nerve agent strikes two new victims in the UK," 4 July 2018
The deadly drug has also been tested for decades as potential chemical weapons to be used in military warfare.

— marco santana, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF researcher gets $1 million grant to help protect emergency personnel from opioids," 28 June 2018
The Commerce Department is charged with overseeing sales of other sensitive materials, including aviation fuel that can be used to power ballistic missiles. and toxins that are key ingredients to chemical weapons.

— annie linskey, BostonGlobe.com, "Donald Trump wants to make foreign arms sales easier," 23 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chemical weapon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.