gas

GAS/ɡæs/

Pluralgases (some meanings), gasses (some meanings)

25 meanings of gas

1
petrolnounCanadaNew ZealandPhilippinesUSuncountable
The liquid fuel that cars and many other vehicles burn in their engines.
Like food for a car: without it, the engine can't go.
We need to stop for gas before we get on the highway.
The price of gas went up again this summer.
UsageIn British English, say petrol.
Similargasoline, petrol, juice
Note
2
piped fuelnoununcountable
A gas burned for cooking, heating, or power, or the supply of it to a home.
We cook everything on a stove that burns gas.
Their house uses gas for heat in the winter.
UsageHere, gas is not the liquid fuel for cars (gasoline or petrol).
Note
3
matter like airnouncountable
A substance like air that has no fixed shape and spreads out to fill any space.
Helium is a gas that is lighter than air.
Some gases, like the ones from car engines, are bad to breathe.
UsageFor more than one kind of gas, the plural is gases.
4
noununcountable
A poisonous substance in the air that can hurt or kill people who breathe it.
The soldiers put on masks to protect themselves from gas.
Everyone ran outside when gas in the building made their eyes burn.
UsageSay a gas attack.
Note
5
stomach windnoununcountable
Air that builds up in your stomach or gut as you digest food, and may come out as burps or farts.
Beans always give me gas.
The baby was fussy because she had gas.
UsageSay it gives me gas.
Similarwind
6
nounUSCanadauncountableabbreviationellipsis
Short for gas pedal: the pedal you press to make a car go faster.
Step on the gas, the light just turned green.
Dad pressed the gas and the car sped up the ramp.
UsageSay step on the gas to go faster.
Note

Less common meanings

7
fill the tankverbUStransitive or intransitive
To fill a car or other vehicle with fuel.
We should gas up the car before the long drive.
Dad gassed up the truck at the corner station.
UsageSay gas up the car.
Similarrefuel
Note
8
attack by poisoningverbtransitive
To hurt or kill people or animals with poison gas.
The farmer gassed the rats living under the barn.
In the war, the enemy tried to gas the soldiers in the trenches.
UsagePast form: gassed.
Note
9
verbslangintransitive
To run out of energy and get tired and out of breath, mostly in a fight or game. Often said as "gassed."
If you go too hard at the start, you'll gas before the last lap.
I was totally gassed after running up all those stairs.
UsagePeople say I'm gassed for very tired.
Similartire, fade, flag
Note
10
verbintransitive
To give off gas.
An old battery can gas if you charge it too long.
The compost pile was gassing all summer as it broke down.
Similarvent
11
pump in vaporverbtransitive
To fill something with gas.
Each bag of chips is gassed with nitrogen before it is sealed.
Factories gas coffee cans with nitrogen to keep the beans fresh.
Similarcarbonate, charge, fill, pressurize
12
speed upverbUStransitive
To press a car's pedal to make it go faster.
Gas it a little so we can make it up the hill.
He gassed the engine and the car shot forward.
UsageSay gas it to mean drive faster.
Similarfloor, gun, rev, accelerate
Oppositebrake
Note
13
excellentadjectiveslanguncountable
Very good or excellent.
That new song is gas. I had it on repeat all day.
Her cooking is gas, so the whole block shows up for dinner.
UsageSay it is gas to mean it is great.
Similarfire, dope, excellent, great
Oppositeterrible, awful
Note
14
strong weednounslanguncountable
Marijuana, especially the strong kind that users see as top quality.
He paid extra for gas instead of the cheap, weak weed.
They saved the gas for the weekend and smoked the regular stuff first.
UsageSay some gas.
Similarkush, loud, weed
Note
15
nouncountable
A burner on a gas stove, where the flame heats the pot.
She put the kettle on the gas to make tea.
He lit the gas and set the frying pan on it.
UsageSay on the gas.
Similarburner, hob, ring
16
very funnyadjectiveslangIreland
Very funny or a lot of fun.
Your little brother is gas. He kept us laughing all night.
The party was gas, with games and singing until late.
UsageSay he's gas, with no a.
Similarhilarious, funny, comical, zany
Oppositeboring, dull
Note
17
hot airnounslangcountable or uncountable
Talk that is mostly bragging or empty words.
Like bubbles in soda: it looks like a lot, but there is nothing solid inside.
Don't believe his talk about being rich. It's all gas.
Most of the meeting was gas, with no real plan at the end.
Similarbluster, bombast, blather, hype, puffery
Note
18
verbslangintransitive
To talk a lot about unimportant things, or to brag.
Dad can gas for hours about his old cars.
The neighbors stood at the fence, gassing about nothing in particular.
UsageSay gassing about something.
Similarchatter, blather, brag, boast, yak
Note
19
noundatedcountable or uncountable
A person, thing, or event that is a lot of fun.
The school trip was a gas from start to finish.
Two more girls came in, one in bright pink stretch pants and the other in purple. “Man this place is a gas,” said pink.
1963, Gloria Steinem, “A Bunny's Tale”Here, gas means something that is a lot of fun.
UsageSay it's a gas.
Similarblast, hoot, riot, ball, laugh
Oppositedrag, bore
Note
20
noununcountable
Something you breathe in during treatment to lessen pain or make you sleep, especially at the dentist.
The dentist gave me gas before pulling my tooth.
She asked for gas to help with the pain while the baby was coming.
21
nouncolloquial
A quick blood test in a hospital that checks oxygen and other gases in the blood.
22
noun
A measure of the computer work an Ethereum transaction needs, paid for with ether.
23
noun
A very fast pitch in baseball.
24
verbslang
To trick or fool someone with big talk and bragging.
25
verb
To pass cloth or thread through a flame to burn off the loose, fuzzy bits.

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 2–5, 8, 10–11, 15, 17–20

It comes from Dutch 'gas', a word made up by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont. He based it on the Ancient Greek word for empty space, 'kháos'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

English gas comes from Dutch gas. fr.wiktionary.org
Chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont coined gas. en.wiktionary.org
Van Helmont based gas on Ancient Greek kháos. en.wikipedia.org
Ancient Greek kháos means empty space. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1, 6–7, 9, 12–14

A short form of 'gasoline'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Gas, meaning gasoline, is a shortened form of gasoline. en.wikipedia.org