face mask

American  

Or facemask

noun

1. Sports. the protective equipment, usually made of steel or plastic, that guards the face, as the steel cage worn by a baseball catcher or the molded plastic covering worn by a hockey goalkeeper.

2. any of various similar devices to shield the face, sometimes attached to or forming part of a helmet, as that worn by workers engaged in a hazardous activity.

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Etymology

Origin of face mask

First recorded in 1905–10; face + mask

Example Sentences

Wearing a face mask, Maradona struggled to walk onto the field on his own.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Bucknor’s nightmare week continued when he left a game after a foul tip hit him in the face mask.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

His hands were bound with plastic cable ties and he was wearing orange overalls and a black face mask.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

During the removal process, she wore a face mask connected to a rolling cart of the laughing gas and oxygen tanks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

He pulls the face mask down and makes a face as Barb rounds the corner.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott