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gas up

 - 9 dictionary results

gas

  [gas] noun, plural gas⋅es, verb, gassed, gas⋅sing.
Use gas up in a Sentence
–noun
1. Physics. a substance possessing perfect molecular mobility and the property of indefinite expansion, as opposed to a solid or liquid.
2. any such fluid or mixture of fluids.
3. any such fluid used as an anesthetic, as nitrous oxide: Did the dentist give you gas for your extraction?
4. any such combustible fluid used as fuel: Light the gas in the oven.
5. Automotive.
a. gasoline.
b. Also called gas pedal. the foot-operated accelerator of an automotive vehicle: Take your foot off the gas.
6. flatus.
7. Coal Mining. an explosive mixture of firedamp with air.
8. an aeriform fluid or a mistlike assemblage of fine particles suspended in air, used in warfare to asphyxiate, poison, or stupefy an enemy.
9. Slang.
a. empty talk.
b. a person or thing that is very entertaining, pleasing, or successful: The party was an absolute gas, and we loved it.
c. a person or thing that affects one strongly.
–verb (used with object)
10. to supply with gas.
11. to overcome, poison, or asphyxiate with gas or fumes.
12. to singe (yarns or fabrics) with a gas flame to remove superfluous fibers.
13. to treat or impregnate with gas.
14. Slang.
a. to talk nonsense or falsehood to.
b. to amuse or affect strongly: Her weird clothes really gas me.
–verb (used without object)
15. to give off gas, as a storage battery being charged.
16. Slang.
a. to indulge in idle, empty talk.
b. to become drunk (often fol. by up).
—Verb phrase
17. gas up, to fill the gasoline tank of an automobile, truck, or other vehicle.
—Idiom
18. step on the gas, Informal. to increase the speed of one's movement or activity; hurry: We'd better step on the gas or we'll be late for the concert.
Origin:
1650–60; coined by J. B. van Helmont (1577–1644), Flemish chemist; suggested by Gk cháos atmosphere

Related forms:
gasless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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gas   (gās)   
n.   pl. gas·es or gas·ses

    1. The state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by relatively low density and viscosity, relatively great expansion and contraction with changes in pressure and temperature, the ability to diffuse readily, and the spontaneous tendency to become distributed uniformly throughout any container.

    2. A substance in the gaseous state.

    3. Flatulence.

    4. Flatus.

  2. A gaseous fuel, such as natural gas.

  3. Gasoline.

  4. The speed control of a gasoline engine. Used with the: Step on the gas.

  5. A gaseous asphyxiant, irritant, or poison.

  6. A gaseous anesthetic, such as nitrous oxide.

    1. Flatulence.

    2. Flatus.

  8. Slang Idle or boastful talk.

  9. Slang Someone or something exceptionally exciting or entertaining: The party was a gas.

v.   gassed, gas·sing, gas·es or gas·ses

v.   tr.

  1. To treat chemically with gas.

  2. To overcome, disable, or kill with poisonous fumes.

v.   intr.

  1. To give off gas.

  2. Slang To talk excessively.

Phrasal Verb(s):
gas upTo supply a vehicle with gas or gasoline: gas up a car; gassed up before the trip.

[Dutch, an occult physical principle supposed to be present in all bodies, alteration of Greek khaos, chaos, empty space, coined by Jan Baptista van Helmont (1577-1644), Flemish chemist.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

gas

In physics, one of the phases of matter. The atoms or molecules in gases are more widely spaced than in solids or liquids and suffer only occasional collisions with one another.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
gas

  1. n.
    intestinal gas. : The baby has gas and will cry for a while longer.
  2. n.
    nonsense. : Hey, that's about enough of your gas.
  3. in.
    to talk nonsense; to brag. (See also gasbag.) : Stop gassing for a minute and listen.
  4. in.
    to have a good time. : We gassed all evening.
  5. n.
    and gasser. a joke; a prank; a wild time. : What a gas! I had a great time.
  6. n.
    liquor, especially inferior liquor. : Pour me a little more of that gas, will you?
  7. in.
    and gas up. to drink excessively; to get drunk. : I come home every night and find that you've been gassing all day. , He gassed up for a couple of hours while waiting for the plane.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

gas 
1658, from Du. gas, probably from Gk. khaos "empty space" (see chaos). The sound of Du. "g" is roughly equivalent to that of Gk. "kh." First used by Flem. chemist J.B. van Helmont (1577-1644), probably influenced by Paracelsus, who used khaos in occult sense of "proper elements of spirits" or "ultra-rarified water," which was van Helmont's definition of gas. Modern scientific sense began 1779, focused on "combustible mix of vapors" (1794, originally coal gas); "anesthetic" (1894, originally nitrous oxide); and "poison gas" (1900). Meaning "intestinal vapors" is from 1882. Slang sense of "empty talk" is from 1847; slang meaning "something exciting or excellent" first attested 1953, from earlier hepster slang gasser in the same sense (1944). Gas also meant "fun, a joke" in Anglo-Irish and was used so by Joyce (1914). As short for gasoline (q.v.), it is Amer.Eng., first recorded 1905.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: GAS
Function: abbreviation
general adaptation syndrome
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

gas (gās)
n. pl. gas·es or gas·ses

  1. The state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by relatively low density and viscosity, relatively great expansion and contraction with changes in pressure and temperature, the ability to diffuse readily, and the spontaneous tendency to become distributed uniformly throughout any container.

  2. A substance in the gaseous state.

  3. A gaseous fuel, such as natural gas.

  4. Gasoline.

  5. A gaseous asphyxiant, an irritant, or a poison.

  6. A gaseous anesthetic, such as nitrous oxide.

  7. Flatulence.

  8. Flatus.

v. gassed, gas·sing, gas·es or gas·ses

  1. To treat chemically with gas.

  2. To overcome, disable, or kill with poisonous fumes.

  3. To give off gas.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
gas   (gās)  Pronunciation Key 
One of four main states of matter, composed of molecules in constant random motion. Unlike a solid, a gas has no fixed shape and will take on the shape of the space available. Unlike a liquid, the intermolecular forces are very small; it has no fixed volume and will expand to fill the space available.

gaseous adjective (gās'ē-əs, gāsh'əs)
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

gas up

Supply a vehicle with gasoline, as in I want to be sure to gas up before we go. James M. Cain used this term in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934): "I went to gas up a car." [Colloquial; c. 1930 Also see tank up.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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