plural gases also gasses
1
: a fluid (such as air) that has neither independent shape nor volume but tends to expand indefinitely
2
a
: a combustible gas or gaseous mixture for fuel or lighting
especially
: natural gas
b
: a gaseous product of digestion
also
: discomfort from this
c
: a gas or gaseous mixture used to produce anesthesia
d
: a substance that can be used to produce a poisonous, suffocating, or physically irritating atmosphere
3
: empty talk : bombast
His talk about quitting his job was all gas.
4
: gasoline
also
: the accelerator pedal of an automotive vehicle
5
: driving force : energy
I was young, and full of gas—
H. L. Mencken
H. L. Menckenran out of gas in the seventh inning
6
slang
: something that gives pleasure : delight
the party was a gas
7
baseball, informal
: fast and powerfully thrown pitches : smoke sense 8
That's Nate on the mound in the glossy photo in his dad's office, throwing gas in some Little League game.—Austin Murphy
Austin Murphy
gassed; gassing
1
: to talk idly or garrulously
2
: to give off gas (see gas entry 1 sense 1)
3
: to fill the tank (as of an automobile) with gasoline
—usually used with up
1
: to supply with gas or especially gasoline
gas up the car
2
a
: to treat chemically with gas
b
: to poison or otherwise affect adversely with gas
3
slang
: to please greatly
gender-affirming surgery; gender affirmation surgery
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS), which refers to any surgical procedure that modifies an individual's body in accordance with their gender identity and expression, is sought after by some transgender and gender nonbinary individuals.—Alexandra Terris-Feldman et al.
Alexandra Terris-Feldman et al.Currently, there are many treatment options for gender dysphoria, including hormone treatment, … psychotherapy, and GAS.—Hadal El-Hadi et al.
Hadal El-Hadi et al.
Synonyms
Examples of gas in a Sentence
Noun
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas.
We heat our house with gas.
Do you have a gas stove or an electric one?
The car gets good gas mileage.
The car almost ran out of gas.
He was driving with one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake.
Verb
soldiers gassed on the battlefield
We stopped to gas the car.
Recent Examples on the WebShelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Excluding gas prices, which have been rising, retail sales were still up a solid at 0.6%.
—Anne D'innocenzio, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Around the state, the most expensive average gas prices were in Marquette, $3.83; Jackson, $3.76 and Lansing, $3.75.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
If Iran and Israel do continue to clash, U.S. motorists could expect to see an impact on gas prices almost instantly.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
From 2021 to 2024, gas prices during these months have increased by as much as 71 cents.
—The Indianapolis Star, 12 Apr. 2024
On their trek around the neighborhood, the officials saw a water moccasin – one of the snakes and frogs that have become a frequent sight in Shiloh – and a gas pipeline that was moved next to the Williams’ home as part of the highway project.
—Maia Rosenfeld, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The public improvement district spans 836 acres of ranchland and gas wells near Eagle Mountain Lake, encased by Morris Dido Newark Road, Peden Road, and Bonds Ranch Road, the project’s namesake.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
All units have gas stoves and full-size washers and dryers.
—Amy Worden, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers released texts between the teen and an adult in Colorado that discuss killing students and gassing the school at a press conference Feb. 8 and said evidence shows the attack was imminent.
—The Enquirer, 15 Feb. 2024
The flight originated in Ontario and made stops along the way that were likely to gas up, including in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Mount Sterling, Kentucky, McCarter said.
—Greg Norman, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024
Service stations, particularly in the eastern half of the country, ran short of fuel as consumers rushed to gas up.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2024
Jordan, who happened to be visiting Brink's office when this happened, helps Brink slip a mask over GB's face and gas him unconscious, landing a job as Brink's TA in exchange for their silence.
—Alex Raiman, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2023
Prosecutors also alleged that Fritzl had threatened to kill Elisabeth and gas their children to death.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2024
Actually, the laser letdown was my only disappointment during a two-day stay in what many consider as the Arizona city best used as a place to gas up and catch a bite to eat before heading east to Tucson or west to San Diego.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024
Perhaps the most recent example is George Santos, the far-right former congressman expelled for his compulsive lying and alleged campaign fundraising and credit card fraud, who has since pivoted to charging $350 on Cameo to gas up furries.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2024
Noun
Arizona's gas prices tend to spike in the spring, and this year is no different.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Excluding gas prices, which have been rising, retail sales were still up a solid at 0.6%.
—Anne D'innocenzio, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Around the state, the most expensive average gas prices were in Marquette, $3.83; Jackson, $3.76 and Lansing, $3.75.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
If Iran and Israel do continue to clash, U.S. motorists could expect to see an impact on gas prices almost instantly.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
From 2021 to 2024, gas prices during these months have increased by as much as 71 cents.
—The Indianapolis Star, 12 Apr. 2024
On their trek around the neighborhood, the officials saw a water moccasin – one of the snakes and frogs that have become a frequent sight in Shiloh – and a gas pipeline that was moved next to the Williams’ home as part of the highway project.
—Maia Rosenfeld, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The public improvement district spans 836 acres of ranchland and gas wells near Eagle Mountain Lake, encased by Morris Dido Newark Road, Peden Road, and Bonds Ranch Road, the project’s namesake.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
All units have gas stoves and full-size washers and dryers.
—Amy Worden, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Verb
Flores comes around to gas us up, complimenting our progress.
—Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers released texts between the teen and an adult in Colorado that discuss killing students and gassing the school at a press conference Feb. 8 and said evidence shows the attack was imminent.
—The Enquirer, 15 Feb. 2024
The flight originated in Ontario and made stops along the way that were likely to gas up, including in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Mount Sterling, Kentucky, McCarter said.
—Greg Norman, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024
Service stations, particularly in the eastern half of the country, ran short of fuel as consumers rushed to gas up.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2024
Jordan, who happened to be visiting Brink's office when this happened, helps Brink slip a mask over GB's face and gas him unconscious, landing a job as Brink's TA in exchange for their silence.
—Alex Raiman, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2023
Prosecutors also alleged that Fritzl had threatened to kill Elisabeth and gas their children to death.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2024
Actually, the laser letdown was my only disappointment during a two-day stay in what many consider as the Arizona city best used as a place to gas up and catch a bite to eat before heading east to Tucson or west to San Diego.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024
Perhaps the most recent example is George Santos, the far-right former congressman expelled for his compulsive lying and alleged campaign fundraising and credit card fraud, who has since pivoted to charging $350 on Cameo to gas up furries.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word '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
Noun
1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1849, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Phrases Containing gas
Dictionary Entries Near gas
Cite this Entry
“Gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gas. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
gas
1 of 2 noun
plural gases also gasses
1
: a fluid (as hydrogen or air) that has no fixed shape and tends to expand without limit
2
a
: a gas or mixture of gases used as a fuel or as an anesthetic
b
: a gaseous product of digestion
c
: a fluid substance (as tear gas) that can be used to produce a poisonous or suffocating atmosphere
3
: unimportant talk : bombast
4
: gasoline
5
slang
: something appealing or enjoyable
the party was a gas
gas
2 of 2 verb
gassed; gassing
1
: to supply with gas
gas up the car
2
a
: to treat with gas
b
: to poison with gas
3
: to talk idly
Medical Definition
gas
1 of 3 noun
plural gases also gasses
1
: a fluid (as air) that has neither independent shape nor volume but tends to expand indefinitely
2
: a gaseous product of digestion
also
: discomfort from this
3
: a gas or gaseous mixture used to produce anesthesia
4
: a substance that can be used to produce a poisonous, asphyxiating, or irritant atmosphere
gas
2 of 3 transitive verb
gassed; gassing
1
: to treat chemically with gas
2
: to poison or otherwise affect adversely with gas
GAS
3 of 3 abbreviation2
gender-affirming surgery; gender affirmation surgery
More from Merriam-Webster on gas
Nglish: Translation of gas for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of gas for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gas
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