gases
gases — noun
- gasessingular
- gasesesplural
1. a substance that has no fixed shape or volume and naturally spreads out to fill
a substance that has no fixed shape or volume and naturally spreads out to fill any container it is placed in — oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen are examples of gases that make up the air we breathe
Carbon dioxide is a gas that plants use during photosynthesis.
uncountable, naming a specific gas
The factory released several harmful gases into the atmosphere.
plural: different types of gas
Helium gas is lighter than air, which is why party balloons float upward.
Niran measured the temperature at which the liquid turned into a gas.
singular: state of matter
- poisonous gas
- toxic gas
- greenhouse gases
- natural gas
- gas molecules
- gas particles
- gas pressure
Usage Note
Countable when referring to specific chemical types (e.g. 'greenhouse gases'), uncountable as a general state of matter ('Gas has no fixed volume').
Common Mistakes
2. a type of fuel that comes from the ground and is burned to produce heat for cook
a type of fuel that comes from the ground and is burned to produce heat for cooking, heating buildings, or powering equipment
Mizuki turned on the gas and put the kettle on for tea.
uncountable: fuel for cooking
Their apartment building uses gas for heating and hot water.
gas for heating
The winter gas bill was higher than usual because of the cold weather.
collocation: gas bill
Rachid smelled gas in the kitchen and called the emergency number immediately.
- gas stove
- gas oven
- gas heater
- gas bill
- gas leak
- gas pipe
- turn on the gas
- turn off the gas
- natural gas
- natural gas
the full name for the fuel extracted from the ground
Usage Note
Commonly modified by 'natural' to distinguish from other fuel types. 'Gas' without a modifier usually refers to natural gas in British English contexts.
Common Mistakes
3. a substance in the form of a vapor that is breathed in through a mask to make a
a substance in the form of a vapor that is breathed in through a mask to make a patient unconscious or unable to feel pain during a medical operation
The anesthetist gave the patient gas through a mask before the surgery began.
medical context: gas + mask
Jiwoo felt dizzy as the gas took effect, then remembered nothing until she woke up.
Different anesthetic gases are used depending on the type and length of the operation.
plural: different types of anesthetic
Valentina's dentist offered her gas to help her relax during the tooth extraction.
informal: gas for dental procedure
- anesthetic gas
- laughing gas
- gas mask
- gas and air
- put someone under gas
- anesthetic
the general term for any drug that prevents pain during surgery; 'gas' is a specific type
Usage Note
In informal conversation, 'gas' can refer to nitrous oxide ('laughing gas') used at the dentist. In medical writing, specific names like 'sevoflurane' or 'nitrous oxide' are preferred.
4. air or other gases that build up in the stomach or intestines, often causing dis
air or other gases that build up in the stomach or intestines, often causing discomfort, bloating, or the need to release it from the body
Eating beans can give you gas, but soaking them overnight helps reduce it.
collocation: give someone gas
The baby had gas after feeding and cried until Heather gently patted her back.
baby gas: common context
Heather took a tablet to relieve the gas pain in her stomach after the heavy meal.
collocation: gas pain
Some people find that fizzy drinks make their gas problems worse.
- have gas
- get gas
- give someone gas
- gas pain
- pass gas
- trapped gas
- relieve gas
Usage Note
Considered a sensitive topic in some social contexts. In polite conversation, 'wind' (British) or 'gas' (American) is used instead of more graphic terms.
Common Mistakes
5. a liquid fuel refined from crude oil that powers the engines of cars, trucks, an
a liquid fuel refined from crude oil that powers the engines of cars, trucks, and other road vehicles — short for 'gasoline'
Eli stopped at the station to put gas in the car before the long drive.
collocation: put gas in the car
The price of gas went up by twenty cents per liter this week.
collocation: price of gas
Noor ran out of gas on the highway and had to call for roadside assistance.
idiom: run out of gas
This car takes premium gas, which costs more than the regular type.
types of gas: premium / regular
- fill up with gas
- put gas in
- run out of gas
- gas station
- gas tank
- gas pedal
- premium gas
- regular gas
- a gallon of gas
Usage Note
This sense is almost exclusively American English. In British English, the fuel is called 'petrol'. The word 'gas' in the UK means the cooking/heating fuel (sense 2).
Common Mistakes
6. the pedal in a car or truck that you push down to increase the vehicle's speed —
the pedal in a car or truck that you push down to increase the vehicle's speed — short for 'gas pedal'
Inês pressed the gas gently as she merged onto the freeway.
collocation: press the gas
The instructor told the student to take his foot off the gas when approaching the red light.
collocation: foot off the gas
Nikhil stepped on the gas and the truck roared up the steep hill.
idiomatic: step on the gas
There is a small gap between the brake and the gas in most cars.
- step on the gas
- hit the gas
- press the gas
- take your foot off the gas
- floor the gas
- accelerator
the formal term for the pedal; used in all varieties of English
- throttle
technical term for the valve that controls fuel flow, also used to mean the accelerator in some contexts
- brake
the pedal that slows or stops the vehicle
Usage Note
Always used with 'the' ('the gas'). In British English, this is called 'the accelerator' or 'the throttle'. 'Step on the gas' also has a figurative meaning meaning 'hurry up'.
Common Mistakes
7. an experience or activity that is very enjoyable, amusing, or exciting — used in
an experience or activity that is very enjoyable, amusing, or exciting — used in informal expressions like 'a gas' or 'good gas'
The street festival with live music and food stalls was a real gas.
phrase: a real gas
Esme said the comedy show was a gas and that we should all go next time.
Hanging out with the old college friends turned out to be a gas despite our worries.
phrase: turned out to be a gas
Their camping trip was a gas until the rain ruined all the food supplies.
- a gas
- a real gas
- a drag
slang for something boring or unpleasant
Usage Note
This slang sense peaked in mid-20th-century American English and sounds dated to younger speakers. It is still understood but not commonly used in everyday conversation today.
Common Mistakes
8. in baseball, the quality of throwing a ball at very high speed, especially from
in baseball, the quality of throwing a ball at very high speed, especially from the pitcher to the batter
The rookie pitcher throws serious gas, regularly hitting ninety-eight miles per hour.
phrase: throws gas
Scouts came from three teams to watch him throw gas at the championship game.
The batter was completely unprepared for the gas coming at him in the ninth inning.
Fans cheered as the pitcher kept bringing the gas, strike after strike.
- throw gas
- throw some gas
- changeup
a slow pitch meant to surprise the batter after faster pitches
Usage Note
Baseball slang only. 'Throw gas' means to pitch a very fast fastball. 'Gas' in this sense is sometimes replaced by 'heat' ('throw heat') or 'smoke' ('throw smoke').
gases — verb
- gasespresent simple I / you / we / they
- gaseses3rd person singular
- gasesing-ing form
- gasesedpast simple
1. to kill or seriously harm a person or animal by forcing them to breathe toxic fu
to kill or seriously harm a person or animal by forcing them to breathe toxic fumes, either deliberately or by accident
During the war, thousands of soldiers were gassed in the trenches.
passive: were gassed
The family was nearly gassed by a leak from their old heating system.
passive + by [cause]
In some countries, criminals were once executed by being placed in a sealed chamber and gassed.
The firefighters wore special masks so they would not be gassed by the chemical smoke.
- be gassed
- gas someone
- gas oneself
- gas chamber
- gassed to death
- asphyxiate
the formal medical term for dying from lack of oxygen, which can be caused by gas
- suffocate
to die from not being able to breathe, not necessarily from poison gas
Grammar Patterns
gas + someone
be gassed
Usage Note
Most commonly used in the passive voice or describing historical events. The reflexive form ('gas oneself') refers to suicide by this method.
Common Mistakes
2. to chat casually and at length on trivial subjects, often to the point where lis
to chat casually and at length on trivial subjects, often to the point where listeners become bored
The two old friends spent the whole afternoon gassing about their school days.
gas about [topic]
My uncle can gas on for hours about his stamp collection if you let him.
phrasal: gas on
Instead of working, the staff were gassing by the coffee machine.
Noor and Valentina gassed away the whole train journey without noticing the time.
phrasal: gas away
- gas about
- gas on
- gas away
- listen
the opposite of talking
Grammar Patterns
gas about [topic]
gas on (about [topic])
Usage Note
This informal sense is more common in British English than American English. 'Gas on' implies the speaker is going on too long. 'Gas' in this sense is not used in formal writing.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
'Gas' is the broadest term for any substance in an aeriform state that fills its container. 'Vapor' refers specifically to a substance that is normally liquid or solid at room temperature but has become gaseous — water vapor is the classic example. 'Fume' adds a negative connotation of being harmful or irritating, and is almost always plural: 'exhaust fumes'. 'Steam' is the visible vapor given off by boiling water, and 'air' is the specific mixture of gases that surrounds Earth. For everyday use: if you cannot see it and it is not water-based, call it 'gas'. If you can see it rising from something hot, it is probably 'steam' or 'vapor'. If it smells bad or might hurt you, it is 'fumes'. For example, you breathe in 'air', cook with 'gas', see 'steam' from a kettle, worry about chemical 'fumes' in a lab, and watch 'water vapor' rise from a warm road after rain.
Common collocations
Nouns
- gas pressure
- gas supply
- gas emissions
- gas leak
Phrases
- a mixture of gases
- a cloud of gas
- convert into gas
Prepositions
- gas from [source]
- gas in [place]
Etymology
The word 'gas' was coined in the 17th century by the Flemish chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont. He deliberately invented a new term based on the Greek word 'khaos' (χάος), meaning 'empty space' or 'chaos', because he felt that gases were elusive, chaotic substances that could not be held in a fixed shape. The word entered English via French ('gaz') and gradually came to refer to any substance in the aeriform state. The slang senses ('a gas' meaning fun, 'throw gas' in baseball) emerged in 20th-century American English.
First known use
1779
1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb