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

The last presidential election in 2020 took four days for officials to make a final call, mostly due to the prominence of mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Osprey Poco Plus Child Carrier $190 at REI Magnolia was six months old when the Covid-19 pandemic left us all searching for activities that allowed for social distancing. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 30 Oct. 2024

Data shows that pre-election voting looks set to decline from the pandemic-era highs of 2020 when some voters were wary of voting in person due to guidelines from the CDC recommending social distancing. —Alexandra Banner, CNN, 2 Oct. 2024

For instance, a 2020 study shows that during the Covid-19 pandemic, collective efforts to promote public health—like mask-wearing and social distancing—demonstrated how shared belief in collective responsibility leads to societal benefits. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 25 Oct. 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