(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!
