sarin

noun

sa·rin | \ ˈsär-ən

How to pronounce sarin (audio)

, ˈser-; zä-ˈrēn \

Definition of sarin

: an extremely toxic chemical weapon C₄H₁₀FO₂P that is used as a lethal nerve gas

— called also GB

Examples of sarin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Did Assad want Sellström to tell the world that Syria had sarin and had used it? — Washington Post, "What Assad’s chemical weapons really accomplished," 19 Feb. 2021 On March 24, the team found, a Syrian fighter jet dropped a bomb carrying sarin on the village, sickening 16 people. — Ben Hubbard, New York Times, "Syria Used Chemical Weapons 3 Times in One Week, Watchdog Says," 8 Apr. 2020 In 1995, in Tokyo, 12 people were killed and more than 5,500 others sickened when packages containing the chemical sarin were leaked on five separate subway trains by Aum Shinrikyo cult members. — BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 20 Mar. 2020 Farha’s cloth specifically destroys the nerve agents VX and soman, also known as GD, which is a more toxic relative of sarin. — Sophia Chen, Wired, "This Cloth Destroys Deadly Nerve Agents in Minutes," 4 Feb. 2020 The attack that prompted the crisis meeting Power describes in the opening of her book involved sarin-gas shells delivered to a Damascus suburb by artillery. — Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, "The Moral Logic of Humanitarian Intervention," 9 Sep. 2019 Menlo Park Fire District chief Harold Schapelhouman said a machine Facebook uses to detect dangerous substances in mail warned of the potential for sarin. — Brett Molina, USA TODAY, "Facebook: Test results negative for suspicious substance found at company mailing facility," 2 July 2019 In April 2017, President Donald Trump ordered a missile strike on a Syrian airfield after victims of an Assad regime attack on civilians in Khan Sheikhoun tested positive for sarin. — NBC News, "U.S. officials: Blood samples show nerve agent, chlorine in Syria gas attack," 12 Apr. 2018 Then, on August 21, 2013, exactly one year to the day from Obama’s red-line threat, the Assad regime launched a massive sarin-gas attack on the Damascus suburbs, killing 1,400 Syrian civilians. — Brian Stewart, National Review, "The Education of a Cynic," 5 Oct. 2019

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

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Last Updated

10 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Sarin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarin. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for sarin

sarin

noun

sa·rin | \ ˈsär-ən

, zä-ˈrēn

\

Medical Definition of sarin

: an extremely toxic chemical warfare agent C₄H₁₀FO₂P that is a powerful cholinesterase inhibitor

— called also GB

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