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

The Guardian breaks down how people are folding screen-free time into everyday routines, from creating physical distance from their phones to setting aside longer stretches without any screens at all. — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026

The architecture also uses optical connections to overcome the physical distance limitations of electrical signaling. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026

The physical distance between the players on the field transitions well into Hoffman’s fictional world. — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

That physical distance, combined with the genomic and vocal divergence confirmed by researchers, supported the formal classification of the Tokara population as a separate species. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for physical distance

• assistance
• consistence
• desistance
• existence
• insistence
• persistence
• resistance
• subsistence
• coexistence
• nonexistence
• magnetoresistance