Phrase guide

nerve gas

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A toxic chemical compound and banned weapon of mass destruction which, when inhaled or ingested, impairs nervous system functions, typically causing extreme physical distress and death by asphyxiation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a toxic gas that is inhaled or absorbed through the skin and has harmful effects on the nervous and respiratory system

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nerve agent

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: agent, poison gas

Narrower terms: VX gas, organophosphate nerve agent

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: غَاز أَعْصَاب (ḡāz ʔaʕṣāb) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Arabic: عَامِل أَعْصَاب (ʕāmil ʔaʕṣāb) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Belarusian: нерво́ва-параліты́чны газ (njervóva-paralitýčny haz) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Chinese Mandarin: 神經毒氣 /神经毒气 (shénjīng dúqì) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Chinese Mandarin: 神經性毒劑 /神经性毒剂 (shénjīngxìng dújì) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Dutch: zenuwgas — weapon of mass destruction
  • Esperanto: nerva gaso — weapon of mass destruction
  • Finnish: hermokaasu — weapon of mass destruction
  • French: gaz innervant — weapon of mass destruction
  • German: Nervengas — weapon of mass destruction
  • German: Nervenkampfstoff — weapon of mass destruction
  • Hindi: तंत्रिका गैस (tantrikā gais) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Irish: néarghás — weapon of mass destruction
  • Italian: gas nervino — weapon of mass destruction
  • Japanese: 神経ガス (shinkei gasu) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Korean: 신경 가스 (sin'gyeong gaseu) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Latin: gasum nervosum — weapon of mass destruction
  • Persian: گاز اعصاب (gâz-e a'sâb) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Persian: عامل اعصاب ('âmel-e a'sâb) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Russian: не́рвно-паралити́ческий газ (nérvno-paralitíčeskij gaz) — weapon of mass destruction
  • Spanish: gas nervioso — weapon of mass destruction
  • Swedish: nervgas — weapon of mass destruction
  • Ukrainian: нерво́во-параліти́чний газ (nervóvo-paralitýčnyj haz) — weapon of mass destruction