span

1 of 4

archaic past tense of spin

span

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
: the distance from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger of a spread hand
also : an English unit of length equal to nine inches (22.9 centimeters)
2
: an extent, stretch, reach, or spread between two limits: such as
a
: a limited space (as of time)
especially : an individual's lifetime
b
: the spread or extent between abutments or supports (as of a bridge)
also : a portion thus supported
c
: the maximum distance laterally from tip to tip of an airplane

span

3 of 4

verb

spanned; spanning

transitive verb

1
a
: to measure by or as if by the hand with fingers and thumb extended
b
2
a
: to extend across
a career that spanned four decades
b
: to form an arch over
a small bridge spanned the pond
c
: to place or construct a span over
3
: to be capable of expressing any element of under given operations
a set of vectors that spans a vector space

span

4 of 4

noun

: a pair of animals (such as mules) usually matched in appearance and action and driven together

Examples of span in a Sentence

Verb His career as a singer spanned three decades. Their empire once spanned several continents. Her academic interests span a wide variety of topics. A bridge spans the river.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
President Biden understands that this concern that has spanned generations and impacted the lives of countless people. Jen Christensen, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 In certain parts of the country, fire seasons that once lasted a few months now span much of the year. ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2024 Image Image With a major push that began last summer, the conservancy is restoring the sidewalks to their former grandeur block by block — all 108, spanning about six miles — examining each section’s unique needs and level of disrepair, with a budget of about $600,000 per block. Anna Kodé, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 This groundbreaking effort spans across multiple cities, shedding light on the vital role of skincare for people of color while striving to enhance access to skin health resources. Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024 This is where Anderson was commissioned to paint a mural spanning all 3,000 feet of the space. Kayla Michelle Smith, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2024 The Amazon Rainforest spans 6.7 million square kilometers, accounting for more than half the planet’s remaining rainforest. Quentin Septer, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 As founding senior director of the artist programs at the institute, and as a crucial mentor to generations of filmmakers that span Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kimberly Peirce and Taika Waititi, Satter has had a quietly seismic effect on American and world cinema. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The district falls entirely within Tarrant County, spanning Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Watauga and a small part of Fort Worth. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
One person wrote to council members that they were forced to live in their car after their rent shot up 35 percent in the span of two years. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Trending In the span of a year, Majors’ career had a tremendous freefall. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024 In the span of one minute to close out the second quarter, a 19-point Roosevelt lead was slashed to 10. Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2024 The last time the studio won best picture twice in the span of just five years was for The Sting in 1973 and The Deer Hunter in 1979. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 At one point, OpenAI had three CEOs in the span of three days. David Goldman, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Tips from witnesses helped lead to arrests in two fatal shootings in the span of two days in Lawrence, the city announced Thursday. Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024 In the span of 48 hours this week, the club traded right back DeAndre Yedlin to FC Cincinnati and transferred midfielder Jean Mota to Brazilian team Vitoria, clearing more than $1.5 million in salary. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 In the span of a month, Eliantes Jean Jacques has lost two family members to the ceaseless violence in Haiti. Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'span.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English spann; akin to Old High German spanna span, Middle Dutch spannen to stretch, hitch up

Noun

Dutch, from Middle Dutch, from spannen to hitch up

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1769, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of span was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near span

Cite this Entry

“Span.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/span. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

span

1 of 3 noun
1
: the distance from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger of a spread hand
also : an English unit of length equal to 9 inches (about 22.9 centimeters)
2
a
: a limited portion of time
span of life
b
: the spread (as of an arch) from one support to another
c
: the portion supported to form a span

span

2 of 3 verb
spanned; spanning
1
a
: to measure by or as if by the hand with fingers and thumb extended
2
a
: to reach or extend across
a bridge spans the river
a career that spans four decades
b
: to place or construct a span over

span

3 of 3 noun
: a pair of animals (as mules) driven together
Etymology

Noun

Old English spann "distance measured by the outstretched hand"

Noun

from Dutch span "a pair of animals driven together," derived from earlier spannen "to hitch up"

Medical Definition

span

noun
1
: an extent of distance or of time
especially : life span
2

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