social distancing

noun

medical

: the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance (such as six feet or more) from other people or of avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection : physical distancing

San Francisco issued recommendations for social distancing on Friday, advising residents to stay home as much as possible and avoid congregating in large groups.

—Taryn Luna and Melody Gutierrez

Under a new "social distancing" strategy, handshaking could be discouraged, with other, less tactile forms of greeting taking its place.

—Rosa Silverman

The term social distancing may be foreign to some, but the concept is one often practiced during the flu season, said Dora Anne Mills, the state's former top health official and currently chief health improvement officer for MaineHealth.

—Gillian Graham

Examples of social distancing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People who supported masks and social distancing during the pandemic were outraged. —Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2025

At Indian Prairie, the first installment of that funding went toward cleaning and social distancing efforts, said the district’s Chief School Business Official Matthew Shipley. —Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025

Yes, this was an unusual circumstance, brought upon by recruiting and social distancing restrictions put in place during COVID-19. —Tim Casey, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

Some restrictions included limits on the number of people who could attend funerals, requirements for social distancing, and prohibitions on certain types of funeral services, such as viewings and wakes. —Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

social distancing

noun

: the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance (as six feet) from other people or of avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease