nerve gas

noun

: an organophosphate chemical weapon that may be inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or ingested and interferes with normal nerve transmission : nerve agent

Examples of nerve gas in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And chatbots can theoretically walk a would-be terrorist through the steps of making a bomb, nerve gas, and a host of other horrors. IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2024 Many Japanese, shaken by the 1995 nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subways by another obscure religious sect, worried that Soka Gakkai was also a cult. Motoko Rich, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2023 Protection from nerve gas Gianneschi and Lu are studying using melanin as a protective dye in clothing. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2023 The thought is the pigment could act as an absorbent for toxins, particularly nerve gas. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2023 The two action stars play U.S. military men who team up to overcome the hijackers who are threatening to release nerve gas on the nation’s capital if their leader isn’t released from custody by the U.S. government. Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2023 During World War I, modern pesticides were developed as the by-products of research on nerve gas and explosives. Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 13 July 2023 Last May, Haley published a paper in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives that found that veterans who recalled hearing chemical nerve gas alarms during their deployment were more likely to develop Gulf War illness. Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 3 May 2023 Sean Connery essentially plays a James Bond who's been rotting in prison for decades, Nicolas Cage is a jittery FBI chemist and the twosome break into Alcatraz to stop a bunch of rogue military dudes from shooting rockets filled with deadly nerve gas at San Francisco. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nerve gas.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nerve gas was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near nerve gas

Cite this Entry

“Nerve gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nerve%20gas. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nerve gas

noun
: a war gas damaging especially to the nervous and respiratory systems

Medical Definition

nerve gas

noun
: an organophosphate chemical weapon that may be inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or ingested and interferes with normal nerve transmission : nerve agent

More from Merriam-Webster on nerve gas

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