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
Instruments and voices accumulate into immense, sustained, saturating dissonances, with a snare drum cutting through the tear-gas haze.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Now 78, Mauldin watches the news and sees videos and pictures of children being tear-gassed again — not by local police in 1965, but by federal immigration officers in 2026.
—Maya Miller, ProPublica, 15 May 2026
Federal officers have shot munitions at his face respirator and at his back, and launched a tear-gas canister that sparked next to his leg and burned a hole in his costume, the complaint says.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Pretti had kicked the taillight of a law enforcement vehicle – and was then tackled and tear-gassed by agents – 11 days before he was killed.
—Luke William Hunt, The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2026
Children, small children and babies, being tear-gassed, taken into custody, separated from their parents.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Jan. 2026
With their escape route blocked by protesters and their cars, the agents tossed out tear-gas canisters, the white clouds billowing up into the winter air.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Screaming people being torn from their families, Americans –- people who were born in the United States — being pulled out of their cars for the crime of having an accent or whatever, children –- small children, babies — being tear-gassed, taken into custody, separated from their parents.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Agents have been accused of arresting citizens without probable cause, pointing weapons at people, tear-gassing neighborhoods, among other allegations of violent behavior.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
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Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Now 78, Mauldin watches the news and sees videos and pictures of children being tear-gassed again — not by local police in 1965, but by federal immigration officers in 2026.
—Maya Miller, ProPublica, 15 May 2026
Federal officers have shot munitions at his face respirator and at his back, and launched a tear-gas canister that sparked next to his leg and burned a hole in his costume, the complaint says.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Pretti had kicked the taillight of a law enforcement vehicle – and was then tackled and tear-gassed by agents – 11 days before he was killed.
—Luke William Hunt, The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2026
Children, small children and babies, being tear-gassed, taken into custody, separated from their parents.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Jan. 2026
With their escape route blocked by protesters and their cars, the agents tossed out tear-gas canisters, the white clouds billowing up into the winter air.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Screaming people being torn from their families, Americans –- people who were born in the United States — being pulled out of their cars for the crime of having an accent or whatever, children –- small children, babies — being tear-gassed, taken into custody, separated from their parents.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Agents have been accused of arresting citizens without probable cause, pointing weapons at people, tear-gassing neighborhoods, among other allegations of violent behavior.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tear-gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear-gas. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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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