gas
♦♦ gas /g'æs/ (gases gasses gassing gassed)
The form gases is the plural of the noun. The form gasses is the third person singular of the verb.
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Gas is a substance like air that is neither liquid nor solid and burns easily. It is used as a fuel for cooking and heating.
Coal is actually cheaper than gas...
Shell signed a contract to develop oil and gas reserves near Archangel.
2 [N-VAR]
A gas is any substance that is neither liquid nor solid, for example oxygen or hydrogen.
Helium is a very light gas.
...a huge cloud of gas and dust from the volcanic eruption.
3 [N-MASS]
Gas is a poisonous gas that can be used as a weapon.
...mustard gas...
The problem was that the exhaust gases contain many toxins.
4 [N-MASS]
Gas is a gas used for medical purposes, for example to make patients feel less pain or go to sleep during an operation. (INFORMAL)
...an anaesthetic gas used by many dentists.
5 [N-UNCOUNT]
Gas is the fuel which is used to drive motor vehicles. (AM; in BRIT, use petrol)
...a tank of gas.
...gas stations.
= gasoline
6 [VERB] V n
To gas a person or animal means to kill them by making them breathe poisonous gas.
Her husband ran a pipe from her car exhaust to the bedroom in an attempt to gas her.
7
see also gas chamber, gas mask, laughing gas, laughing gas, natural gas, tear gas
8 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you step on the gas when you are driving a vehicle, you go faster. (mainly AM INFORMAL; in BRIT, use step on it)CS gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
CS gas is a gas which causes you to cry and makes breathing painful. It is sometimes used by the police to control a crowd which is rioting. (BRIT)
= tear gasgas cham|ber (gas chambers)
[N-COUNT]
A gas chamber is a room that has been specially built so that it can be filled with poisonous gas in order to kill people or animals.gas fire (gas fires)
[N-COUNT]
A gas fire is a fire that produces heat by burning gas.gas guz|zler (gas guzzlers)
also gas-guzzler
[N-COUNT]
If you say that a car is a gas guzzler you mean that it uses a lot of fuel and is not cheap to run. (AM INFORMAL)gas mask (gas masks)
[N-COUNT]
A gas mask is a device that you wear over your face in order to protect yourself from poisonous gases.gas pe|dal (gas pedals)
[N-COUNT] usu the N
The gas pedal is another name for the accelerator. (mainly AM)gas ring (gas rings)
[N-COUNT]
A gas ring is a metal device on top of a cooker or stove, where you can burn gas in order to cook food on it. (BRIT; in AM, use burner)gas sta|tion (gas stations)
[N-COUNT]
A gas station is a place where you can buy fuel for your car. (AM; in BRIT, use petrol station)green|house gas (greenhouse gases)
[N-VAR]
Greenhouse gases are the gases which are responsible for causing the greenhouse effect. The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide.laugh|ing gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
Laughing gas is a type of anaesthetic gas which sometimes has the effect of making people laugh uncontrollably.
= nitrous oxidemus|tard gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
Mustard gas is a gas which burns the skin and was used in war as a weapon.natu|ral gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
Natural gas is gas which is found underground or under the sea. It is collected and stored, and piped into people's homes to be used for cooking and heating.nerve gas (nerve gases)
[N-MASS]
Nerve gas is a poisonous gas used in war as a weapon.poi|son gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
Poison gas is a gas that is poisonous and is usually used to kill people in war or to execute criminals.tear gas /t'ɪər gæs/
[N-UNCOUNT]
Tear gas is a gas that causes your eyes to sting and fill with tears so that you cannot see. It is sometimes used by the police or army to control crowds.
Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
The form gases is the plural of the noun. The form gasses is the third person singular of the verb.
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Gas is a substance like air that is neither liquid nor solid and burns easily. It is used as a fuel for cooking and heating.
Coal is actually cheaper than gas...
Shell signed a contract to develop oil and gas reserves near Archangel.
2 [N-VAR]
A gas is any substance that is neither liquid nor solid, for example oxygen or hydrogen.
Helium is a very light gas.
...a huge cloud of gas and dust from the volcanic eruption.
3 [N-MASS]
Gas is a poisonous gas that can be used as a weapon.
...mustard gas...
The problem was that the exhaust gases contain many toxins.
4 [N-MASS]
Gas is a gas used for medical purposes, for example to make patients feel less pain or go to sleep during an operation. (INFORMAL)
...an anaesthetic gas used by many dentists.
5 [N-UNCOUNT]
Gas is the fuel which is used to drive motor vehicles. (AM; in BRIT, use petrol)
...a tank of gas.
...gas stations.
= gasoline
6 [VERB] V n
To gas a person or animal means to kill them by making them breathe poisonous gas.
Her husband ran a pipe from her car exhaust to the bedroom in an attempt to gas her.
7
see also gas chamber, gas mask, laughing gas, laughing gas, natural gas, tear gas
8 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you step on the gas when you are driving a vehicle, you go faster. (mainly AM INFORMAL; in BRIT, use step on it)CS gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
CS gas is a gas which causes you to cry and makes breathing painful. It is sometimes used by the police to control a crowd which is rioting. (BRIT)
= tear gasgas cham|ber (gas chambers)
[N-COUNT]
A gas chamber is a room that has been specially built so that it can be filled with poisonous gas in order to kill people or animals.gas fire (gas fires)
[N-COUNT]
A gas fire is a fire that produces heat by burning gas.gas guz|zler (gas guzzlers)
also gas-guzzler
[N-COUNT]
If you say that a car is a gas guzzler you mean that it uses a lot of fuel and is not cheap to run. (AM INFORMAL)gas mask (gas masks)
[N-COUNT]
A gas mask is a device that you wear over your face in order to protect yourself from poisonous gases.gas pe|dal (gas pedals)
[N-COUNT] usu the N
The gas pedal is another name for the accelerator. (mainly AM)gas ring (gas rings)
[N-COUNT]
A gas ring is a metal device on top of a cooker or stove, where you can burn gas in order to cook food on it. (BRIT; in AM, use burner)gas sta|tion (gas stations)
[N-COUNT]
A gas station is a place where you can buy fuel for your car. (AM; in BRIT, use petrol station)green|house gas (greenhouse gases)
[N-VAR]
Greenhouse gases are the gases which are responsible for causing the greenhouse effect. The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide.laugh|ing gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
Laughing gas is a type of anaesthetic gas which sometimes has the effect of making people laugh uncontrollably.
= nitrous oxidemus|tard gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
Mustard gas is a gas which burns the skin and was used in war as a weapon.natu|ral gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
Natural gas is gas which is found underground or under the sea. It is collected and stored, and piped into people's homes to be used for cooking and heating.nerve gas (nerve gases)
[N-MASS]
Nerve gas is a poisonous gas used in war as a weapon.poi|son gas
[N-UNCOUNT]
Poison gas is a gas that is poisonous and is usually used to kill people in war or to execute criminals.tear gas /t'ɪər gæs/
[N-UNCOUNT]
Tear gas is a gas that causes your eyes to sting and fill with tears so that you cannot see. It is sometimes used by the police or army to control crowds.
Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.