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

Pivots prompted by social distancing requirements ushered in new opportunities and cultural phenomena. —Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2025

Flashback: Sans masks and social distancing, Gov. Mike DeWine, then-health director Amy Acton and others spoke mainly of new virus testing capabilities. —Tyler Buchanan, Axios, 7 Mar. 2025

Some locked down their populations; some encouraged testing, masking, and social distancing; some traced the outbreaks to cut off new infections; and some did almost nothing at all. —Edward Alden, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2025

At the paper, Soon-Shiong developed strong protocols urging masking, social distancing and vaccinations. —David Folkenflik, NPR, 3 Feb. 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