PPE
Americanabbreviation
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personal protective equipment: specialized clothing or other wearable gear that minimizes one’s exposure to sources of illness or injury, and in medical contexts helps to inhibit the spread of infection to others.
Entering week three of this viral outbreak, the demand for disposable PPE, especially gloves and respirators, has already begun to exceed the supply.
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British. philosophy, politics, and economics.
Gerald is studying PPE at Oxford.
abbreviation
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philosophy, politics, and economics: a university course
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personal protective equipment: clothing and equipment used to ensure personal safety in the workplace
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
PPE Medpro was set up in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic as the government struggled to secure supplies of protective equipment to protect health workers during the acutest phase of the outbreak.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
Part of the problem was the sheer enormity of the initial outbreak, which quickly strained available stocks of tests, medications, and PPE, not to mention hospital beds and healthcare workers’ time.
From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026
Sprecher says even if they have the PPE, wearing it is "a problem, because once you put that stuff on, you start getting very, very hot", and so cannot work for long.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Bring a face covering like a bandanna or a PPE mask.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Every staff member wore PPE, and I'd spotted two EMTs in full hazmat suits coming out of an ambulance.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
