nitrous oxide

noun

: a colorless gas N2O that when inhaled produces loss of sensibility to pain preceded by exhilaration and sometimes laughter, that is used especially as an anesthetic in dentistry and as a fuel, and that is an atmospheric pollutant and greenhouse gas produced by combustion

called also laughing gas

compare nitric oxide

Examples of nitrous oxide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to Clinton Township’s website, the canisters contain butane, nitrous oxide and lighter fluid, measuring up to 18 inches in size and weighing up to 15 pounds each. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Crews believe the canisters that went flying from the building Monday night contained nitrous oxide and butane. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Township officials said Tuesday that butane and nitrous oxide, lighter fluid, vape pens, and canisters measuring 12-18 inches and weighing 10-15 pounds exploded during the blaze at Goo. Elissa Robinson, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 Instead these laws seek to prohibit the sale of the objects designed for abusing nitrous oxide. Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2024 The big picture While 2023 remains a work in progress, NOAA has just released a detailed analysis of 2022, showing that the concentrations of some greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—all reached record concentrations last year. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2023 Vehicle exhaust is a major source of nitrous oxides, in addition to emissions from electrical power generation plants. L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune Well, 27 Feb. 2023 Energy that’s been absorbed by the Earth warms the surface and then radiates up and out, where it can be intercepted by clouds, or interact with chemicals in different layers of the atmosphere, including the greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Dan Rockmore, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024 So do punitive measures like New Zealand’s plan to require farmers to start paying a price for the methane that cows belch and the nitrous oxide that comes from their urine. Noah Gordon, The New Republic, 3 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nitrous oxide.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nitrous oxide was in 1798

Dictionary Entries Near nitrous oxide

Cite this Entry

“Nitrous oxide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitrous%20oxide. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nitrous oxide

noun
: a colorless gas that when inhaled causes loss of the ability to feel pain and sometimes produces laughter and is used especially in dentistry

called also laughing gas

Medical Definition

nitrous oxide

noun
: a colorless gas N2O that when inhaled produces loss of sensibility to pain preceded by exhilaration and sometimes laughter and is used especially as an anesthetic in dentistry

called also laughing gas

More from Merriam-Webster on nitrous oxide

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!