gas mask

American

noun

a masklike device containing or attached to a component that filters the air inhaled by the wearer through charcoal and chemicals, for protecting the face and lungs against noxious gases and fumes, as in warfare or in certain industrial processes.

gas mask British

noun

Also called (in Britain): respirator. a mask fitted with a chemical filter to enable the wearer to breathe air free of poisonous or corrosive gases: used for military or industrial purposes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gas mask

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“This war is Hitler’s fault. My displacement, Hitler’s fault. This gas mask I carry at all times”—I raise my voice for full effect —“Hitler’s fault!”

From Literature

He’s got his quirks—chains his tea mug to the radiator by his desk, wears a tie for a belt, and rides a rickety bicycle along country lanes while wearing a gas mask.

From Literature

“I’m not supposed to know people’s names, but you hear things. He rides around wearing a gas mask.”

From Literature

His face is undecipherable; it’s covered by a green rubber gas mask.

From Literature

Just her purse and a gas mask.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023