nerve agent
nounDefinition of nerve agent
: a toxic, usually odorless organophosphate (such as sarin, tabun, or VX) that is used as a chemical weapon in gaseous or liquid form, disrupts the transmission of nerve impulses, and may cause breathing difficulties, coughing, vomiting, muscle weakness or paralysis, convulsions, coma, and death : nerve gas
Examples of nerve agent in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, was poisoned along with his daughter in Salisbury, England, last year with a potent nerve agent administered by two officers from Russia’s military intelligence, Britain said. — Neil Macfarquhar, BostonGlobe.com, "Fears of Navalny poisoning are rooted in previous attacks on Kremlin foes," 29 July 2019 Machines in the mail room detected the chemical sarin — a potentially lethal nerve agent — inside the package, prompting officials to evacuate four buildings and call authorities. — Alejandra Reyes-velarde, latimes.com, "No sarin found in package sent to Facebook that prompted evacuations, officials say," 2 July 2019 Sarin is an extremely volatile nerve agent because of its ability to evaporate from liquid to gas. — Cheri Mossburg, CNN, "Sarin possibly found at a Facebook mailing facility in California, no employees exposed," 1 July 2019 Sarin gas is a clear, colorless nerve agent with no taste or odor that can occur in liquid or vapor form, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, "Hazmat crews at Facebook HQ in Menlo Park after sarin scare," 1 July 2019 Kim is suspected of having ordered the killing of his half brother through a plot using a nerve agent at a Malaysian airport in 2017. — Jonathan Lemire, Twin Cities, "At DMZ, step into history for Trump as he offers hand to Kim," 30 June 2019 Kim is suspected of having ordered the killing of his half brother through a plot using a nerve agent at a Malaysian airport in 2017. — Jonathan Lemire, chicagotribune.com, "Wide grins and historic handshake at DMZ as Trump visits Kim Jong Un in North Korea," 30 June 2019 Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the military-grade nerve agent in the British town of Salisbury in March. — Matt Richardson, Fox News, "US to impose new Russia sanctions for 'chemical or biological weapons' use against British ex-spy," 2 Oct. 2018 London blamed Moscow for targeting the duo with a nerve agent, a charge Russia denies. — Deutsche Welle, USA TODAY, "Vladimir Putin says Russia does not want to split the European Union," 5 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nerve agent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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