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

Documents made public since then have revealed that the specific guidance put out by the federal government on mask mandates and social distancing was not based in scientific evidence. — Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2026

Covid-19 wasn’t immediately recognized as a disease with airborne transmission with the potential to spread beyond the 6-foot social distancing measure, especially in places with poor ventilation or around activities with heavy breathing. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Fare evasion on the city’s bus routes has been a persistent problem since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, when the MTA let passengers skip the fare and board buses from the rear door in an effort to maintain some semblance of social distancing. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026

The senator and other lawmakers have also questioned Fauci's recommendations for social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 30 July 2026

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