face mask
1 : a mask or protective covering for the face
Heavy fumes forced authorities to supply residents in the immediate vicinity of the spill with face masks …— Bill Hewitt and Terry Smith … jersey numbers define the player in football, where helmets and face masks make it harder to identify a player's face.— Bill Pennington
2 or face mask penalty, American football : a penalty imposed on a player for grabbing and pulling an opponent's face mask during play
… the Wolverines' Grant Perry was called for a face mask during a Desmond King punt return, giving Iowa the ball at Michigan's 36-yard line. — The Buffalo (New York) News a 15-yard face mask penalty
Recent Examples on the Web
//Breathing smoke:As wildfires foul California air, residents need respirator masks, not face masksPreemptive power shutoffs also weren't over for nearly 1.5 million Northern and Central California residents.
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Kristin Lam, USA TODAY, "'It takes one ember ... to start another brush fire': Extreme winds put California fire officials on high alert," 30 Oct. 2019
//Two plays later, redshirt sophomore safety Ahman Ross was called for a face masking penalty that cost the Owls another 15 yards and put the Thundering Herd in FAU territory.
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Khobi Price, sun-sentinel.com, "FAU continues to struggle with penalties; Korel Smith dresses against Marshall," 18 Oct. 2019
//Denver’s medical staff removed the face mask from his helmet, stabilized his neck, strapped him to a backboard and rolled him off in a cart.
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Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, "Two scary injuries on same day remind the Chargers ‘your life is literally in danger’," 11 Oct. 2019
//Shrink them down to microscopic proportions by removing impurities with this double-duty face mask that clears up congestion while restoring radiance and suppleness.
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Jennifer Ford, Essence, "The Compact," 10 Oct. 2019
//In both cases, the suspect wore a full face mask, gloves, sunglasses, red or blue long sleeve shirts, and a baseball cap or visor.
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Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, "Gunman in full flesh-colored face mask ties up gas station clerk in robbery," 31 July 2019
//The captain returned to the bench wearing a face mask for the third, but didn’t re-enter the game.
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Matt Vautour | Mvautour@masslive.com, oregonlive, "Stanley Cup Final 2019: St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins, 4-2 to even series," 3 June 2019
//Byrd may have reached the end zone had not his face mask been grabbed for a penalty.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "New Mexico natives lead Aztecs to 31-10 win at New Mexico State," 14 Sep. 2019
//Find your new favorite face masks for $12.62 or less
5.
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Samantha Gordon, USA TODAY, "The 5 best Amazon deals you can get this Saturday," 31 Aug. 2019
First Known Use of face mask
1754, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries near face mask