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Glite Dictionary
nerve gas

nerve gas

19 6.8
A very poisonous gas that stops people breathing, often used as a weapon
  • noun
  • /nɜrv ɡæs/
  • NSFW
translation icon : gas nervioso
  • The weapons you recovered in Belarus were confirmed to be VX nerve gas capable of devastating a major city.
  • nerve gas attack
  • sarin nerve gas
  • VX nerve gas

You could say like, well, you know, let's think about nerve gas.

Examples

  • They've used nerve gas against the Iranians and the Kurds.

    Jarhead (2005)

  • Did you shoot me with a tranquilizer gun or spray me with nerve gas or something?

    The Hard Hombre (1931)

  • Are you saying the nerve gas is on board?

    Executive Decision (1996)

  • Our training was comprehensive: a tiny amount of nerve gas could kill you quickly.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Right now, you are both breathing in a deadly nerve gas.

    Scary Movie 4 (2006)

  • There were an additional 75 tons of this nerve gas in stock.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Nerve gas is quite painless, but effective.

    Double Team (1997)

  • Iran also has vast quantities of chemical weapons, including nerve gases that are highly lethal.

    Blog text (25)

  • A nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway kills eight and injures thousands.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The deadly nerve gas caused chaos and panic in the city during the attack.

Synonyms

chemical weapon
vsnerve gas
  • Literature
176 4.6

A harmful chemical that kills or hurts people, animals and plants in war

is a specific airborne poison that targets the nervous system for harm
sarin
vsnerve gas
  • NSFW
24 9.9

A very poisonous chemical used as a weapon that can kill quickly

is the general poisonous form used to attack the nervous system
nerve agent
vsnerve gas
  • NSFW
13 8.8

A very poisonous chemical used as a weapon that stops the nerves from working and makes people stop breathing

is a poisonous form that attacks the nervous system and causes paralysis or death
poison gas
vsnerve gas
  • NSFW
12 5.7

A harmful gas used as a weapon that can kill or make people very sick if they breathe it

is a poisonous form that attacks the nervous system rather than any toxic effect
neurotoxin
vsnerve gas
  • Specialized
9 7.8

A poison that damages nerves and can stop movement

is specifically a weaponized airborne poison aimed at the nervous system
VX gas
vsnerve gas
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A very strong poison used as a weapon that attacks the nerves and can kill by touching skin or breathing

is the general poisonous form used to attack the nervous system
organophosphate nerve agent
vsnerve gas
  • NSFW
9.9

A very poisonous chemical weapon that stops the body's nerves working

is the general poisonous form used to attack the nervous system

How Toxic

nerve gas
  • NSFW
19 6.8
poison gas
  • NSFW
12 5.7
irritant
15 6.0
harmless
231 1.0

Surface Forms

nerve gas singular
nerve gases plural

Morphology

nerve + GA

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'nerve' (relating to the nervous system) + 'gas' (a gaseous substance), so it denotes a gas that affects the nervous system; this relation is transparent and predictable. Although the term is technical and refers to chemical weapons, a B1 learner who knows the constituents can reasonably infer that it is a poisonous gas attacking nerves.

Etymology

The name nerve gas comes from how the substance works: the gas attacks the body's nerves, the parts that control breathing and movement. That's why 'nerve gas' means a poisonous gas that can stop someone breathing or moving and may kill them.