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

But because people were following pandemic protocols such as masking and social distancing, cases did not soar. —Sabrina Malhi The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 26 Dec. 2024

As lockdowns and social distancing became the norm, homes were no longer just dwellings but safe havens. —Omaid Homayun, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

Even if such passive social distancing may have not evolved to prevent transmission to others, simply being too sick to interact with others will still reduce the spread of germs. —Sebastian Stockmaier, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024

People can still spread the virus at that point, so the CDC recommends frequent hand-washing, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing in crowded indoor settings for at least five days. —Alice Park / Paris, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024

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