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
Taryn Luna and Melody GutierrezUnder a new "social distancing" strategy, handshaking could be discouraged, with other, less tactile forms of greeting taking its place.—Rosa Silverman
Rosa SilvermanThe 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
Gillian GrahamExamples of social distancing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Other issues such as staffing and social distancing requirements exacerbated the challenges of operating a new business, Kim added.
—Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
While Fauci became a more vocal proponent of safety measures like social distancing, Trump pushed for the economy to reopen quickly.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
There were new protocols to learn about social distancing, masking and doing temperature checks.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 6 May 2025
Of course, Zoom was the standard form of communication back in those days, just months into a COVID-19 pandemic that sent much of the world into lockdown and social distancing mode.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
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Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
While Fauci became a more vocal proponent of safety measures like social distancing, Trump pushed for the economy to reopen quickly.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
There were new protocols to learn about social distancing, masking and doing temperature checks.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 6 May 2025
Of course, Zoom was the standard form of communication back in those days, just months into a COVID-19 pandemic that sent much of the world into lockdown and social distancing mode.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for social distancing
Cite this Entry
“Social distancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20distancing. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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