gas
A2Common in all registers, from technical/scientific to everyday informal.
Definition
Meaning
A substance like air that is not solid or liquid, used as a fuel for heating or cooking, or used as an anaesthetic.
Short for petrol/gasoline for vehicles; a state of matter; a humorous or impressive thing or event (slang); empty talk (slang); a step on the accelerator pedal (verb).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily countable for types of gas ('noble gases', 'a gas'), but can be uncountable for fuel or substance in general ('I smell gas'). 'The gas' can refer to the gas supply system in a house.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the US, 'gas' is the standard short form for 'gasoline' (petrol). In the UK, 'petrol' is used for vehicle fuel, and 'gas' typically refers to domestic/heating fuel (like North Sea gas) or a scientific state of matter.
Connotations
In US slang, 'a gas' means something fun. In UK, 'gas' as slang is rarer but can mean idle chatter. 'Step on the gas' is understood in both, but 'accelerator'/'throttle' is more common in UK formal contexts.
Frequency
'Gas' for vehicle fuel is extremely high-frequency in the US, comparable to UK 'petrol'. For domestic fuel, frequency is similar in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
gas + verb: gas leaks/explodes/expandsverb + gas: produce/emit/detect gasgas + noun: gas supply/pipe/lightbe + adjective + gas: be full of/run on gasVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “run out of gas”
- “step on the gas”
- “a gas-guzzler”
- “be cooking with gas”
- “it's a gas (slang)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Referring to energy prices, the gas market, or utilities sector.
Academic
In physics/chemistry, as a state of matter; in history, referencing gas warfare.
Everyday
Paying the gas bill, filling up the car with gas (US), lighting the gas hob.
Technical
Gas chromatography, gas dynamics, inert gas shielding in welding.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The intruder attempted to gas the occupants.
- The government was accused of gassing its own people.
American English
- He gassed up the car before the road trip.
- The comedian really gassed up the crowd.
adjective
British English
- We have a gas-fired central heating system.
- He works in the gas industry.
American English
- We're looking at gas-powered generators.
- She pulled into the gas station.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We cook our food on a gas stove.
- In America, you put gas in your car.
- There was a strong smell of gas, so we called the emergency number.
- The price of natural gas has increased this winter.
- The planet Jupiter is known as a gas giant.
- The protesters feared the police would use tear gas.
- The new policy is designed to phase out gas-guzzling vehicles by 2035.
- Her speech was just a lot of hot air and gas, with no substantive policy.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a car at a GAS station: it needs GAS to go As Swiftly.
Conceptual Metaphor
ENERGY IS FUEL ('He's running out of gas for this project'), SPEED IS ACCELERATION ('We need to put the gas on this initiative'), HUMOUR/ENTERTAINMENT IS INTOXICATION ('That comedy show was a real gas').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate 'gas' (US) as 'газ' when meaning petrol; use 'бензин'. 'Газ' is correct for domestic/scientific gas.
- In Russian, 'газ' can mean 'newspaper' (газета), a false friend in this context.
- 'Step on the gas' translates to 'дать газу', but beware the informal/slang register.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'a gas' uncountably incorrectly ('I need a gas for my car' – should be 'some gas' or 'gas').
- Using UK 'petrol' in the US, causing confusion.
- Confusing 'gas' (state of matter) with 'gas' (fuel) in scientific contexts.
Practice
Quiz
In British English, what do you most commonly put in your car's fuel tank?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be both. Uncountable for the substance generally ('We need gas'). Countable for types or instances ('Oxygen is a gas', 'There are several gases in the mixture').
'Gasoline' is the full term for the liquid fuel for cars. 'Gas' is the universal American short form. In the UK, this fuel is called 'petrol'.
It originates from 1960s slang and means 'it's very amusing or enjoyable'.
Yes. It can mean to poison with gas, to supply with gas, or (US) to fill a vehicle with gasoline. In slang, it can also mean to talk excessively or to thrill someone.