: 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
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
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
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 9 Oct. 2024
Months of fierce protest, at which demonstrators were tear-gassed, soon thrust the city into the national spotlight.
—CBS News, 9 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tear gas 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
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
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
Months of fierce protest, at which demonstrators were tear-gassed, soon thrust the city into the national spotlight.
—CBS News, 9 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tear gas
Articles Related to tear gas
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 15 Nov. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share