Meaning & use
NBC suits
Last updated
Meaning
nounpluraltechnical
Protective clothing worn to shield the body from nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards.
Grammar: Countable; the singular is 'an NBC suit'.
Patterns
- wear an NBC suit
- put on an NBC suit
Soldiers put on NBC suits before entering the contaminated area.
The factory keeps NBC suits for emergency workers.
NBC suits are tested to make sure they block dangerous substances.
Word forms
| singular | NBC suit |
|---|
Common combinations
- wear an NBC suit
- All staff must wear an NBC suit in the lab.
- put on an NBC suit
- They put on NBC suits before the drill.
- NBC suit training
- NBC suit training is required for all new recruits.
- remove an NBC suit
- Removing an NBC suit safely takes practice.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hazmat suit
- This is a broader term for any protective suit against hazardous materials, not only nuclear, biological, or chemical agents.
- CBRN suit
- This is the newer term for the same type of clothing; CBRN stands for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear.
Word family
- NBC abbreviation
- Nuclear, biological, and chemical.
Commonly confused: NBC suits or hazmat suit?
NBC suits vs hazmat suit
Hazmat suits protect against a wider range of hazards, while NBC suits are specifically for nuclear, biological, and chemical threats.
Practice
What does 'NBC' stand for in 'NBC suit'?
Choose one answer.
In this context, NBC stands for Nuclear, Biological, Chemical. Option 0 is a television network, and options 2 and 3 are invented terms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “NBC suits”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.