tear-gas

Police officers use tear-gas to disperse a crowd.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A chemical agent: "tear-gas" (also written as tear gas) is a chemical compound that causes severe irritation to the eyes, resulting in tearing, pain, and temporary blindness. It is often used by law enforcement for crowd control or riot suppression.

2. Verb:

   • To disperse with tear gas: "to tear-gas" means to attack or force someone to leave an area by using tear gas.
   • To subject to tear gas: To expose someone or a group to the effects of tear gas.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The police fired tear-gas canisters into the crowd. (The police used containers of tear gas to control the demonstration.)
  • Exposure to tear-gas can cause coughing and difficulty breathing. (Breathing in the chemical leads to respiratory problems.)

• Verb:

  • The authorities decided to tear-gas the protesters. (The authorities used tear gas to force the protesters to disperse.)
  • They tear-gassed the building to flush out the suspects. (They filled the building with tear gas to make the suspects leave.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be hit by tear gas": to be directly affected by the chemical.

  • Many demonstrators were hit by tear gas during the march. (Many protesters were directly exposed to the chemical.)

• "tear-gas grenade": a type of grenade that releases tear gas upon detonation.

  • The soldier threw a tear-gas grenade into the bunker. (He used a grenade that releases the irritating chemical.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tear gas (n): the same as tear-gas; the hyphen is often omitted in modern usage.

  • The crowd was dispersed with tear gas. (The same chemical agent was used.)

• Tear-gassed (adj): having been exposed to or affected by tear gas.

  • The tear-gassed victims were treated at the hospital. (The people affected by tear gas received medical care.)

• Tear-gassing (n/adj): the act of using tear gas, or relating to such an act.

  • The tear-gassing of the area lasted for an hour. (The act of releasing tear gas continued for sixty minutes.)

Synonyms

• Chemical irritant: a substance that causes irritation to the eyes or skin.
• Riot control agent: a chemical used to subdue crowds.
• Lachrymatory agent: a scientific term for a substance that induces tearing (from Latin , meaning tear).

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms specifically using "tear-gas," but related phrases include:
  • "In the line of fire": to be in a dangerous position, such as being exposed to tear gas.

    • Journalists often find themselves in the line of fire during protests, facing tear gas. (They are in a risky situation where they may be affected by the chemical.)

Notes on Usage

• The word is often written as two separate words ("tear gas") in modern English, especially in journalistic or scientific contexts. The hyphenated form ("tear-gas") is less common but still correct, particularly when used as a compound adjective (e.g., "a tear-gas canister").