chemical warfare

noun

: tactical warfare using substances (such as incendiary mixtures, smoke, or gases) with irritant, burning, poisonous, or asphyxiating properties

There were other isolated instances of chemical warfare. The Greeks used a gas attack with sulphur fumes at the siege of Delium in 424 B.C.

—Bernard and Fawn M. Brodie

The forswearing of chemical warfare by the major combatants in World War II foreshadowed the later nuclear "balance of terror," during the Cold War.

—Clifford F. Beal

Examples of chemical warfare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1915, the first use of chemical warfare, chlorine gas, was released in the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium during World War I. More than 150 tons of the lethal gas was released onto the French army along the Western Front by the Germans. —The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024

Troops that are targeted by chemical warfare have the ability to adapt quickly and immunize themselves with protective gear. —Sohail H. Hashmi, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2013

And cyanogen chloride is indeed used as a chemical warfare agent, according to the National Institutes of Health. —Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2016

And the federal Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response keeps a national stockpile of supplies necessary for public health emergencies, including vaccines, medical supplies and antidotes needed in case of a chemical warfare attack. —Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 4 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

chemical warfare

noun

: tactical warfare using incendiary mixtures, smokes, or irritant, burning, poisonous, or asphyxiating gases