What does gassed mean?
Gassed most often functions as an informal adjective meaning intoxicated, usually by alcohol: a speaker might say that someone was gassed after a night out. It can also describe being high on other drugs, although that use varies with context and register. The word has a literal connection to gas, since gassed is also the past tense and past participle of the verb gas. In that grammatical use, it can mean supplied with gas, filled with gas, or exposed to or poisoned by gas, so context is essential. Gassed up is a common informal combination for someone prepared and enthusiastic, especially before a performance or event. Gassed is therefore more expressive and conversational than sober or intoxicated and should usually not replace the more neutral standard terms in formal writing. Its origins lie in the noun gas, a seventeenth-century Latinized formation ultimately based on a Greek word associated with boiling. The contrast between the cheerful slang sense and the potentially dangerous literal gas sense gives the word its memorable ambiguity.
Intoxicated, especially by alcohol or another intoxicant.
"They were gassed on music and cold drinks before the concert even began."
Informal and conversational; the sense is especially associated with British English but is also understood in American English.
The past tense and past participle of gas: to supply with or fill with gas, expose to gas, or poison or kill with gas.
"The exterminator had gassed the chamber to eliminate the invasive insects."
The literal verb form is common in industrial, scientific, agricultural, and fumigation contexts.
Gassed can mean pleasantly intoxicated, but its literal connection to gas also gives the word an unexpectedly serious edge.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gassed come from?
Gassed is the past tense and past participle of gas, and the informal sense meaning intoxicated is a figurative extension of that word. The noun gas was coined in the seventeenth century by Jan Baptista van Helmont, using a New Latin form based on the Greek khāzō, meaning “to boil.” Modern derivatives include gaseous, gasoline, and gassy.
Related word forms
How gassed is actually used
The intoxication sense is informal and is particularly associated with British English, although it is understood in American English. The participial sense is ordinary in technical, industrial, and fumigation contexts; context is necessary to distinguish an intoxicated person from someone affected by a gas.