Showing results for "span"

• past participle of spin.
• past tense form of spin.

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• span
  span

  noun

  the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended.
• Span.
  Span.

  abbreviation

  Spaniard.

span

¹ American  

[span] / spæn /

noun

1. the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended.

2. a unit of length corresponding to this distance, commonly taken as 9 inches (23 centimeters).

3. a distance, amount, piece, etc., of this length or of some small extent.

   a span of lace.

4. Civil Engineering, Architecture.

   1. the distance between two supports of a structure.

   2. the structure so supported.

   3. the distance or space between two supports of a bridge.

5. the full extent, stretch, or reach of anything.

   a long span of memory.

6. Aeronautics. the distance between the wing tips of an airplane.

7. a limited space of time, as the term or period of living.

   Our span on earth is short.

8. Mathematics. the smallest subspace of a vector space that contains a given element or set of elements.

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verb (used with object)

spanned, spanning

1. to measure by the hand with the thumb and little finger extended.

2. to encircle with the hand or hands, as the waist.

3. to extend over or across (a section of land, a river, etc.).

4. to provide with something that extends over.

   to span a river with a bridge.

5. to extend or reach over (space or time).

   a memory that spans 90 years.

6. Mathematics. to function (in a subspace of a vector space) as a span.

7. Archery. to bend (the bow) in preparation for shooting.

span ² American  

[span] / spæn /

noun

1. a pair of horses or other animals harnessed and driven together.

   Synonyms:

   team

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span ³ American  

[span] / spæn /

verb

Archaic.

1. a simple past tense of spin.

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Span. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Spaniard.

2. Spanish.

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span ¹ British  

/ spæn /

noun

1. the interval, space, or distance between two points, such as the ends of a bridge or arch

2. the complete duration or extent

   the span of his life

3. psychol the amount of material that can be processed in a single mental act

   apprehension span

   span of attention

4. short for wingspan

5. a unit of length based on the width of an expanded hand, usually taken as nine inches

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verb

1. to stretch or extend across, over, or around

2. to provide with something that extends across or around

   to span a river with a bridge

3. to measure or cover, esp with the extended hand

Span. ² British  

abbreviation

1. Spanish

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span ³ British  

/ spæn /

noun

1. a team of horses or oxen, esp two matched animals

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span ⁴ British  

/ spæn /

verb

1. archaic a past tense of spin

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span Idioms  

1. see spick and span.

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Synonym Usage

See pair.

Etymology

Origin of span¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun spanne, sponne, spayn, Old English span(n), spon(n); cognate with German Spanne, Dutch span, Old Norse spǫnn; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of span²

An Americanism dating to 1760–70; from Dutch: “team (of oxen, horses)”

Explanation

Any distance between two things is called a span. These end points can be physical, like the span of a rope between two trees, or they can be more abstract, such as the span of time between five and six o'clock. Span comes from the Old English spann, the width of the stretched-out hand, measured from thumb to little finger. It came to refer to various other measurements, such as the distance across an arch. The first reference to a length of time came in the late 16th century, and the phrase "attention span" first appeared in 1922 (as "span of attention").

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

span Span. spanned spanning

Upon Lozano’s death in 1953, Ignacio E. Lozano Jr. became publisher of the paper, continuing a family legacy that would span three generations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Archaeological evidence now shows that one of these sites, Cloggs Cave, was used for such activities over an extraordinary span of roughly 25,000 years.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

Selected by a special panel of filmmakers and critics, the films on this list span over 100 years of cinema and include comedies, horror flicks, dramas, documentaries, and beyond.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

What began as a geopolitical shock has evolved into a broad-based build-up of physical, futures and options bets that span retail investors, professional money managers and derivatives traders, it says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

How did Fizz morph, in my mind, from a best friend with a no-nonsense attitude into this stern, judgmental person in the span of a few days?

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

Cannibal is from Span. canibal, earlier caribal, i.e.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Ernest Weekley

It corresponds to an Old Fr. bicoquet and Span. bicoquete, cap, the derivation of which is uncertain.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Ernest Weekley

It represents Span. garbellar, from garbello, a sieve.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Ernest Weekley

"Fly-boat" comes from Span. filibote, flibote—a fast-sailing vessel.

From A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 1 by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Bullen

It apparently occurs first in O. Fr. in the forms gauverdine, galvardine, and thence into Ital. as gavardina, and Span. gabardina, a form which has influenced the English word.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4 "G" to "Gaskell, Elizabeth" by Various

Olu Jacobs, one of Nigeria's best known actors, whose career spanned several decades across theatre, television and film, has died at the age of 84.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Memphis pro wrestling legend “Superstar” Bill Dundee, whose career spanned more than five decades and included iconic feuds and tag-team runs with Jerry “The King” Lawler, has died.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

That investigation spanned seven years and roped in more than a dozen other automakers, identifying over 4,000 reports of sunroof fractures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Parton’s solo career spanned equally divisive times, launching at the height of the Vietnam War and carrying on for everything that came afterwards.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

It was built into a white arch formed by two monumental stone wolves on their hind legs, and spanned the road leading up the hill to the Court.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

With a career spanning decades, Thompson has attracted followers for his trademark high-energy style and loony routines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

They identified 196 different lipid molecules spanning five major groups.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Crown Prosecution Service originally brought 21 charges, but added 38 more in July for alleged actions spanning between 2010 and 2017.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Mr. Lucas, de facto chief curator since December, has taken the helm, staging more than 1,300 of his own objects in 33 galleries spanning 100,000 square feet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Yet, he built the spanning bridges and the grand mansions, the sturdy docks and stout factories of the South.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

Related Words

• interval
• length
• period
• space
• spell
• stretch
• term