tear gas

1 of 2

noun

: 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

tear-gas

2 of 2

verb

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

transitive verb

: 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

Examples of tear gas in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Advertisement Some protesters, dressed in black and with their faces covered, threw stones, bottles and paper bombs at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, eventually dispersing the crowd. Giada Zampano and Sylvia Hui, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2024 The streets were filled with tear gas, gunfire, and flames launched by government sympathizers. Mie Hoejris Dahl, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Aug. 2024
Verb
Many fans were tear-gassed by police officers and kick off was delayed by 30 minutes. Tom Burrows, The Athletic, 18 Apr. 2024 Quintero hid for two hours in a closet, listening to gunshots and what sounded like bombs — possibly grenades or tear-gas canisters. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tear gas 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1916, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tear gas was in 1916

Dictionary Entries Near tear gas

Cite this Entry

“Tear gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20gas. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

teargas

1 of 2 verb
tear·​gas ˈti(ə)r-ˌgas How to pronounce teargas (audio)
: 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

Medical Definition

tear gas

noun
: a solid, liquid, or gaseous substance that on dispersion in the atmosphere irritates mucous membranes resulting especially in blinding of the eyes with tears

More from Merriam-Webster on tear gas

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