sarin

noun

sa·​rin ˈsär-ən How to pronounce sarin (audio)
ˈser-;
zä-ˈrēn
: 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 The experts also oversaw the physical destruction of labs and production equipment for making more sarin. Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2023 That hasn’t stopped Damascus from using chemical weapons short of sarin in attacks against rebels and civilians. Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2023 The munitions being destroyed in Kentucky are the last of 51,000 M55 rockets with GB nerve agent – a deadly toxin also known as sarin – that have been stored at the depot since the 1940s. Andrew Demillo, Thomas Peipert, and Dylan Lovan, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2023 The United States’ last declared chemical weapon — an aging rocket filled with sarin nerve agent — was destroyed late last week at a Kentucky munitions plant, the Pentagon affirmed Monday, ending a decades-long operation to cull U.S. stocks of deadly toxins. Alex Horton, Washington Post, 10 July 2023 The Kentucky storage facility has housed mustard agent and the VX and sarin nerve agents, much of it inside rockets and other projectiles, since the 1940s. Andrew Demillo, Thomas Peipert, and Dylan Lovan, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2023 The munitions being destroyed in Kentucky are the last of 51,000 M55 rockets with sarin, a deadly toxin that is also known as GB nerve agent. CBS News, 7 July 2023 This dynamic played out most starkly in Syria, in the aftermath of the August 2013 sarin gas attack in Ghouta. Elliot Ackerman, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021 The munitions being destroyed in Kentucky are the last of 51,000 M55 rockets with GB nerve agent — a deadly toxin also known as sarin — that have been stored at the depot since the 1940s. Andrew Demillo, BostonGlobe.com, 7 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sarin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

German

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sarin was in 1951

Dictionary Entries Near sarin

Cite this Entry

“Sarin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarin. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.

Medical Definition

sarin

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

called also GB

More from Merriam-Webster on sarin

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!