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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Related Words

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)”

Example Sentences

He frequently covers issues spanning safety, company strategy, the experience of flying and the battle between airplane makers including Airbus and Boeing as they work to win orders and boost production.

From The Wall Street Journal

The story of his life - which has therefore spanned the entire existence of his country's national team - will be shown in The Charlie O'Leary Story - From Johnny Cullen's Hill to the Olympic Stadium Rome.

From BBC

Data centers’ voracious energy needs hold the potential to upend power markets spanning entire regions and push up residents’ bills.

From The Wall Street Journal

The turning point in regulation came in a three-minute span in the middle of the second period.

From Los Angeles Times

To retrieve the organism, the team drilled a 25-meter ice core from a section of the cave called the Great Hall, capturing a frozen record spanning 13,000 years.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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