attention span

American  

noun

attention spans plural

1. the interval during which an individual can concentrate, as on a single object, idea, or activity.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• attention spans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of attention span

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The center found that preschool children struggle to learn as much from content with frequent cuts, though consuming it doesn’t impact their attention span negatively, Uhls said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026

Given their limited attention span, the last thing a child needs is a film chock-full of loose ends to distract from the crux of the story.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

Slaymaker said he had noticed an increase in people using their phones in the cinema, which he put down to "changes in people's attention span".

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Pfeifer considers the flip side, too: “It’s possible our attention span is decreasing because we’re having fewer conversations.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

The family then moved back to Britain, where Mack grew up in Aberdeen, and became a scientist, a tinkerer, a great piano player, with a bit of a short attention span himself.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel