: 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
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026
The scope of the agents’ actions led some historians to compare current events with Southern law enforcement’s use of tear gas during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 27 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for tear gas
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Noun
In 1987, members of the national media praised Minnesotans for their joyous and generally family-friendly celebration of the Twins’ first World Series title, free of the shattered windows, tear gas and burning cars.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026
The scope of the agents’ actions led some historians to compare current events with Southern law enforcement’s use of tear gas during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 27 May 2026
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for tear gas
Cite this Entry
“Tear gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20gas. Accessed 29 May. 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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