physical distance

noun

medical

: a greater than usual physical separation between people during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection

Health professionals are urging the public to … stay home when sick and keep a physical distance between oneself and others to reduce the risk of being exposed to the virus.

—The Norman Transcript (Norman, Oklahoma)

The models don't reveal how long Canadians will have to maintain physical distance, but they do indicate the measures will need to be in place "for a considerable amount of time," [Dr. Theresa] Tam said.

—Samantha Beattie

compare social distance sense 2

Examples of physical distance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even here on the border, where the physical distance is reduced to nothing but a narrow river, the criminals remain out of the reach of law enforcement, either locally or internationally. —Teele Rebane, CNN, 17 June 2024

The novelty of these sermons, the physical distance of the mosques, and the hierarchical structure of Shiite practice all helped mobilize residents in a way that the bonds of tribe, ideology, and Sunni practice could not. Loading... —Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023

In that moment, the two of them broke down on the phone, the physical distance between them collapsed by grief. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024

The physical distance from Huwara is short, but the leap from one world to another is large. —Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above