Definition of "gas" in English

noun

1. (uncountable, physical chemistry) Matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble of liquid, or held together by gravitational pull); it can condense into a liquid, or can (rarely) become a solid directly by deposition.

   • A lot of gas had escaped from the cylinder.

2. (countable, physical chemistry) A chemical element or compound in such a state.

   • The atmosphere is made up of a number of different gases.

3. (countable) A hob on a gas cooker.

   • She turned the gas on, put the potatoes on, then lit the oven.

4. (uncountable) Methane or other waste gases trapped in one's belly as a result of the digestive process; flatus.

   • My tummy hurts so bad – I have gas.

5. (business, often attributive) The supply of natural gas, as a utility.

6. (slang, dated) A humorous or entertaining event, person, or thing.

7. (slang) Frothy or boastful talk; chatter.

8. (baseball) A fastball.

   • The closer threw him nothing but gas.

9. (medicine, colloquial) Arterial or venous blood gas.

verb

1. (transitive) To attack or kill with poison gas.

   • The Nazis gassed millions of Jews during the Holocaust.
   • He never fully recovered after he was gassed on the Western Front.

2. (transitive) To use poison gas in (a volume or area) to attack or kill someone or something.

3. (intransitive, slang) To talk in a boastful or vapid way; to chatter.

4. (transitive, slang) To impose upon by talking boastfully.

5. (intransitive) To emit gas.

   • The battery cell was gassing.

6. (transitive) To impregnate with gas.

   • to gas lime with chlorine in the manufacture of bleaching powder

7. (transitive) To singe, as in a gas flame, so as to remove loose fibers.

   • to gas thread

noun

1. (uncountable, Canada, US, New Zealand, Philippines) Gasoline, a light derivative of petroleum used as fuel.

2. (uncountable, by extension) Ellipsis of gas pedal; accelerator, throttle.

3. (uncountable, cryptocurrencies) An internal virtual currency used in Ethereum to pay for certain operations, such as blockchain transactions.