face mask

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of face mask¹

First recorded in 1905–10; face + mask

Example Sentences

They advised anyone with symptoms to wear a face mask and avoid contact with other people.

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He describes it as "like a face mask, but for the brain".

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To do that, they had to pull off their face masks.

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A man, 21, was arrested for failing to comply with an order to remove a face mask, and a boy, 17 was held for failing to comply with a dispersal order.

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He told the inquiry he was upstairs on the morning of the attack when he saw his brother leave the house wearing a face mask.

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