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.
Supply levels of PPE got "dangerously low" - the inquiry was told at one point the NHS was just days away from running out of key items.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
"It's been framed that a bunch of young men sat around with craft knives. You have a sample opening room with employees wearing PPE opening samples."
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
The account represents a chunk of net PPE for these companies, at 30%, 18% and 22%, respectively, filings show.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
Companies then move the individual costs to building, machinery or another specific PPE category.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
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.
