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

Visitation time was also limited and included social distancing measures. —Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025

Once social distancing regulations began to lift, even more benefits to working from home emerged. —Rachel Wallace, Architectural Digest, 22 Dec. 2025

Everyone was forced to stay outside, practice social distancing and wear masks — well, except to eat the pizza — as the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Nov. 2025

The room, about the size of a standard bedroom, was spacious enough to allow for social distancing while COVID-19 remained a concern. —Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 17 Nov. 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