/ gæs; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
( pl. gases or less frequent gas·ses )
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)
—see also greenhouse gas
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)
—see also Calor gas , coal gas , natural gas
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
During the birth she was given gas and air.
—see also laughing gas
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
—see also CS gas , mustard gas , nerve gas , tear gas
IN VEHICLE
5.
[ U ] ( NAmE ) = petrol :
a gas station
a gas pump
to fill up the gas tank
6.
the gas [ sing. ] ( especially NAmE ) = gas pedal :
Step on the gas , we're late.
FUN
7.
[ sing. ] ( especially NAmE ) a person or an event that is fun :
The party was a real gas.
IN STOMACH
8.
[ U ] ( NAmE ) = wind (I) (2)
•
IDIOMS
see cook verb
■ verb
( -ss- )
KILL / HARM WITH GAS
1.
[ vn ] to kill or harm sb by making them breathe poisonous gas
TALK
2.
[ v ] (usually used in the progressive tenses) ( old-fashioned , informal ) to talk for a long time about things that are not important
SYN chat
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: invented by J. B. van Helmont (1577–1644), Belgian chemist, to denote an occult principle which he believed to exist in all matter; suggested by Greek khaos chaos, with Dutch g representing Greek kh .