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

ˈtir-ˌgas

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The lawsuit, filed in August 2020, claimed the Detroit Police Department used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, sound cannons, flash grenades, chokeholds and mass arrests without probable cause.

Emma Stein, Detroit Free Press, 14 Oct. 2022 The munitions included tear gas, flash bangs and flares.

Aisyah Llewellyn, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2022 Riot police responded with tear gas, which is banned at soccer stadiums by FIFA.

Edna Tarigan, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Oct. 2022 Riot police responded by firing tear gas, including toward the stadium’s stands, causing panic among the crowd.

oregonlive, 1 Oct. 2022 The Iranian government attempted to stifle the backlash through the use of tear gas, clubs, and even ammunition; however, the protests nevertheless persisted, reports Reuters.

Devika Rao, The Week, 29 Sep. 2022 Security forces have responded to the mostly peaceful protests with unlawful use of metal pellets, tear gas, water cannons, and beatings with batons, according to Amnesty International.

N'dea Yancey-bragg, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2022 Since the protesting began, riot police have met protestors with brutal force, armed with batons, tear gas, guns and metal pellets.

Anisha Kohli, Time, 24 Sep. 2022 Reports have emerged of demonstrators torching waste containers, blocking access to streets and burning police vehicles as riot police respond with tear gas, water cannons and beatings.

Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2022

Verb

But the popular uprising was met with force as security forces used water cannons and teargas to break up demonstrations.

Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Quartz Africa, 28 Sep. 2020 See More

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

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

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tear gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20gas. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

Copy Citation

Kids 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

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