span
1the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended.
a unit of length corresponding to this distance, commonly taken as 9 inches (23 centimeters).
a distance, amount, piece, etc., of this length or of some small extent: a span of lace.
Civil Engineering, Architecture.
the distance between two supports of a structure.
the structure so supported.
the distance or space between two supports of a bridge.
the full extent, stretch, or reach of anything: a long span of memory.
Aeronautics. the distance between the wing tips of an airplane.
a limited space of time, as the term or period of living: Our span on earth is short.
Mathematics. the smallest subspace of a vector space that contains a given element or set of elements.
to measure by the hand with the thumb and little finger extended.
to encircle with the hand or hands, as the waist.
to extend over or across (a section of land, a river, etc.).
to provide with something that extends over: to span a river with a bridge.
to extend or reach over (space or time): a memory that spans 90 years.
Mathematics. to function (in a subspace of a vector space) as a span.
Archery. to bend (the bow) in preparation for shooting.
Origin of span
1Words Nearby span
Other definitions for span (2 of 4)
a pair of horses or other animals harnessed and driven together.
Origin of span
2synonym study For span
Other words for span
Other definitions for span (3 of 4)
Other definitions for Span. (4 of 4)
Spaniard.
Spanish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use span in a sentence
The active user metrics can further be categorized into four metrics as per audience engagement in different time spans.
App store optimization success: Top five KPIs you must measure | Juned Ghanchi | August 28, 2020 | Search Engine WatchSorkin’s economic prescriptions are derived from a career that’s now spanned a quarter century.
Romaine is slightly heartier, but it still has a limited life span in a Tupperware.
Somehow a galaxy that spans tens of thousands of light years is intimately related to what is, in effect, a microscopic dot at its center.
The Universe Has Made Almost All the Stars It Will Ever Make - Issue 89: The Dark Side | Caleb Scharf | August 19, 2020 | NautilusA star is born over a long span of time from a large, cold, dark cloud of gas and dust.
The human attention span is evolving in such a way that they can skip around.
Meghan Daum On Tackling The Unspeakable Parts Of Life | David Yaffe | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRELATED: Wing span: The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (PHOTOS) Not everyone agreed with her assessment.
I Got Kicked Out Of The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show | Nico Hines | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFive times during that span, the majority of species on the planet vanished in a short interval of time.
Heed the Warnings: Why We’re on the Brink of Mass Extinction | Sean B. Carroll | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn battle, it means the ability to shift from suicide bombers to tank columns and maneuver warfare in the span of a day.
Typically, new equipment is developed in the span of two or three years.
Messrs. Spick and span's representative was wounded in his tenderest point, but his firm carried out the order to the letter.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsPart of that idea was sham bric-à-brac, the rest was carte blanche to Messrs. Spick and span.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsOriginally it had one great roof of a single span, second only to that of St. Pancras Station.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowThat was "back in the Sixties," when his lapses were as far apart as they were unrivalled in consumption, span, and pyrotechny.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonHe seems to think he is mooting to me a spick and span new idea—that he has invented something.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
British Dictionary definitions for span (1 of 4)
/ (spæn) /
the interval, space, or distance between two points, such as the ends of a bridge or arch
the complete duration or extent: the span of his life
psychol the amount of material that can be processed in a single mental act: apprehension span; span of attention
short for wingspan
a unit of length based on the width of an expanded hand, usually taken as nine inches
to stretch or extend across, over, or around
to provide with something that extends across or around: to span a river with a bridge
to measure or cover, esp with the extended hand
Origin of span
1British Dictionary definitions for span (2 of 4)
/ (spæn) /
a team of horses or oxen, esp two matched animals
Origin of span
2British Dictionary definitions for span (3 of 4)
/ (spæn) /
archaic, or dialect a past tense of spin
British Dictionary definitions for Span. (4 of 4)
Spanish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with span
see spick and span.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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