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

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

Nanos told CBS News that investigators believe the clothing, backpack and face mask worn by the suspect could have been purchased at a Walmart.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

He tried teaching over Zoom and did private lessons, wearing a face mask and hoofing it to as many as 16 homes a day.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

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.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

Then she rolls her eyes, throwing me a face mask before waving me along to freedom.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott