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
spanned; spanning
1
a
: to measure by or as if by the hand with fingers and thumb extended
b
: measure
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
: a pair of animals (such as mules) usually matched in appearance and action and driven together
Synonyms
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
Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 17 May 2024
The latter runs from January through August, while monsoon season spans September to December.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2024
The collection spans from the earliest surviving color photo of a member of the royal family to the Queen Mother's personal copy of Queen Elizabeth's coronation portrait from 1953 to Andy Warhol's glittering portrait of the Queen in 1985 and one of Kate Middleton's 40th birthday portraits.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024
Menendez, who is being tried separately from his wife, Nadine Menendez, stands accused of trading his influence and power to foreign governments and three New Jersey businessmen in a complex bribery scheme that allegedly spanned from 2018 to 2023.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 16 May 2024
For the new analysis, the researchers focused on the months of June to August between 30 and 90 degrees latitude, an area spanning from just south of Cario, Egypt, to the North Pole.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024
All 17 of their regular-season games will be played in the continental United States, spanning all corners from Buffalo to Miami to Los Angeles and Seattle.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 15 May 2024
The story contains allegations from 16 women, spanning four decades, from the 1980s to 2014.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2024
Hill's acting career spanned over 50 years both onscreen and on-stage.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 May 2024
Juan Lozano, Fortune, 16 May 2024
The span is the only bridge that leads from the island city of Galveston, on the Texas Gulf Coast, to nearby Pelican Island.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 16 May 2024
That’s an increase of 21 percent in the span of a year.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2024
The sheriff's office said the four were arrested over a span of 48 hours across three states.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 14 May 2024
Precision cuts using small charges were made along pieces of the bridge's span that had been lying on top of the Dali's bow since the massive ship lost power and collided with one of the bridge’s support columns on March 26, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Baltimore District.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
The explosives flashed orange and let off a cloud of black smoke upon detonation, and the span crumpled into the water in seconds.
—Lea Skene, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2024
What a wonderful way to spin this band off into another phase of its life span.
—Ryan Reed, SPIN, 10 May 2024
The disagreement over Connor’s part in the fatal beating stemmed from about a 90-second span in a hallway without video cameras.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024
Verb
City officials said the land will be a crucial connection allowing Ridge to Rivers’ 200-plus-mile system to span from Idaho 55 to Idaho 21.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 17 May 2024
The latter runs from January through August, while monsoon season spans September to December.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2024
The collection spans from the earliest surviving color photo of a member of the royal family to the Queen Mother's personal copy of Queen Elizabeth's coronation portrait from 1953 to Andy Warhol's glittering portrait of the Queen in 1985 and one of Kate Middleton's 40th birthday portraits.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024
Menendez, who is being tried separately from his wife, Nadine Menendez, stands accused of trading his influence and power to foreign governments and three New Jersey businessmen in a complex bribery scheme that allegedly spanned from 2018 to 2023.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 16 May 2024
For the new analysis, the researchers focused on the months of June to August between 30 and 90 degrees latitude, an area spanning from just south of Cario, Egypt, to the North Pole.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024
All 17 of their regular-season games will be played in the continental United States, spanning all corners from Buffalo to Miami to Los Angeles and Seattle.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 15 May 2024
The story contains allegations from 16 women, spanning four decades, from the 1980s to 2014.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2024
Hill's acting career spanned over 50 years both onscreen and on-stage.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 May 2024
Noun
The bridge has one main steel span that measures 164 feet (50 meters), and federal data shows it was last inspected in December 2021.
—Juan Lozano, Fortune, 16 May 2024
The span is the only bridge that leads from the island city of Galveston, on the Texas Gulf Coast, to nearby Pelican Island.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 16 May 2024
That’s an increase of 21 percent in the span of a year.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2024
The sheriff's office said the four were arrested over a span of 48 hours across three states.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 14 May 2024
Precision cuts using small charges were made along pieces of the bridge's span that had been lying on top of the Dali's bow since the massive ship lost power and collided with one of the bridge’s support columns on March 26, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Baltimore District.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
The explosives flashed orange and let off a cloud of black smoke upon detonation, and the span crumpled into the water in seconds.
—Lea Skene, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2024
What a wonderful way to spin this band off into another phase of its life span.
—Ryan Reed, SPIN, 10 May 2024
The disagreement over Connor’s part in the fatal beating stemmed from about a 90-second span in a hallway without video cameras.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 8 May 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.
Dictionary Entries Near span
Cite this Entry
“Span.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/span. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
span
1 of 3 noun1
: 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
noun1
: an extent of distance or of time
especially
: life span
2
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