the 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.
Spaniard.
Spanish.
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
See pair.
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
An Americanism dating to 1760–70; from Dutch: “team (of oxen, horses)”
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").
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The annual property tax bills hovered between $48,000 and $64,300 over that span.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Coming into Thursday trading, Tesla stock had dropped for six straight days, losing 21% over that span.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
The joint venture will lease from KOC the usage rights to all of its 13 pipelines, which span roughly 200 miles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
A 2021 study from the University of Windsor estimated the new span would slash 20 minutes off crossing time for each truck and save the trucking industry billions in costs over its lifetime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
More important, he didn’t need the pockets anymore to protect the magical piece of firewood that controlled his life span.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
It is an adaptation of the Fr. guise, Span. guisa.
From The Bible in Spain - Vol. 2 [of 2] by Borrow, George Henry
Fr. sire, sieur, seigneur, Ital. signor, Span. señor, with their compounds monsieur, messer, etc., all representing either senior or seniorem.
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest
From the Ital. melagrana, a pomegranate; Span. granada.
From The Bible in Spain - Vol. 2 [of 2] by Borrow, George Henry
Carib, the n being perhaps due to contamination with Span. canino, canine, voracious.
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest
Comrade is from Fr. camarade, and this from Span. camarada, originally a "room-full," called in the French army une chambrée.
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest
The pair had a tumultuous seven-year relationship that spanned 2012 to 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
This time, probes into 60 economies including major partners like the EU and India spanned just four months.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Broadcaster and journalist Edward Stourton, whose career spanned more than 40 years including a decade on Radio 4's Today, has died aged 68.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
To quantify a career like Neill’s is impossible, but “Jurassic Park” points to a trend that spanned his filmography, even defined it.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
‘Deep is the abyss that is spanned by Durin’s Bridge, and none has measured it,’ said Gimli.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
The joyous event is a tradition spanning over half a century.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
There is “robust empirical support for the momentum factor over domestic and global stock markets spanning up to 150 years of data,” they wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Taylor’s vegetable empire includes production facilities spanning North America and Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Neill was a consummate character actor, hard-working and driven by a love for his craft, with a filmography spanning decades and roles that touched countless lives.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
“How could a wall spanning the kingdom be defended? There would never be enough soldiers to guard something so vast! What does this Tiger Emperor want?”
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
