gas

Universal Words noun, verb noun (plural gases or less frequent gasses) not solid / liquid 1 [C,U] any substance like air that is neither a solid nor a liquid, for example HYDROGEN and OXYGEN are both gases: Air is a mixture of gases. * CFC gases * a gas bottle / cylinder (= for storing gas) seealsoGREENHOUSEGAS 2 [U] a particular type of gas or mixture of gases used as fuel for heating and cooking: a gas cooker / fire / furnace / oven / ring / stove * a gas explosion / leak * gas central heating * (BrE) Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 (= a particular temperature of a gas oven) seealsoCALORGAS, COALGAS, NATURALGAS 3 [U] a particular type of gas used during a medical operation, to make the patient sleep or to make the pain less: an anaesthetic gas * Did you have gas or an injection? * During the birth she was given gas and air. seealsoLAUGHINGGAS 4 [U] a particular type of gas used in war to kill or injure people, or used by the police to control people: a gas attack seealsoCSGAS, MUSTARDGAS, NERVEGAS, TEARGAS in vehicle 5 [U] (AmE) = PETROL: a gas station 6 (the gas) [sing.] (especially AmE) = GASPEDAL: Step on the gas, we're late. fun 7 [sing.] (especially AmE) a person or an event that is fun: The party was a real gas. in stomach 8 [U] (AmE) = WIND(2) IDIOMS see COOKv. verb (-ss-) kill / harm with gas 1 [VN] to kill or harm sb by making them breathe poisonous gas: She gassed herself with fumes from the car's exhaust pipe. * He was gassed in the war. talk 2 [V] (usually used in the progressive tenses) (old-fashioned, informal) to talk for a long time about things that are not important SYNCHAT: I thought he'd never stop gassing!