pepper spraying
Defensive chemical discharge
Pepper spraying is the act of discharging pepper spray—an aerosol irritant containing capsaicin—at someone's face to incapacitate them.
Police use it for crowd control and subduing suspects; civilians carry it for self-defense.
The term often appears in news coverage of protests or confrontations: Campus police were filmed pepper spraying seated demonstrators.
- maceBludgeon with flanged head
- tear gasEye-irritating riot dispersant
- self-defenseProtecting oneself from harm
- painBodily or emotional distress
- burning sensationPainful heat-like feeling
defensive weapon · riot control · civil unrest · capsaicin · irritant · nose · skin · chemical agent · crowd control · aerosol · non-lethal · tears · police brutality · use of force · police officer · respiratory distress · protest · mouth
pepper sprayingcomforting
Giving emotional ease
soothing · healing · rescuing · decontaminating · treating
pepper sprayingde-escalating
Reducing intensity of conflict
negotiating · calming · peacekeeping · standing down · mediating
pepper, spraying, spray, peppers, sprays, sprayed, sprayer, sprayers, peppery