Showing results for "span"

• past tense form of spin.
• past participle 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

Ten days after filing his anonymous complaint, he submitted a letter to the inspector general’s office, along with a USB drive with the 122 recordings, which he’d made over a span of about six months.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

The warnings span Wednesday and Thursday and include parts of east Wales, the Midlands, northern England, East Anglia and southern England - including London.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

We have traveled from the illusion that humanity had left global wars behind forever to the stark prospect of a third world war that could span continents and have devastating global consequences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

It is the world's biggest single colony of little penguins, which have a life span of about six years with habitats in southern Australia -- mostly Tasmania -- and New Zealand.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

That was all in the span of about ten seconds, too.

From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy

In alligator, Span. el lagarto, the lizard, from Lat. lacertus, we have the Spanish definite article.

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

It is a word of strange and uncertain etymology, and is said to be connected with Span. garra, a claw, Fr. jarret, a thigh, and other apparently incongruous words.

From The Bible in Spain - Vol. 2 [of 2] by George Henry Borrow

We find other forms in Italian and Spanish, but they all go back to Ital. pietra, petra, or Span. piedra, pedra, stone, flint.

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

According to Prof. Skeat it is derived from the Span. filigrana, from “filar, to spin, and grano, the grain or principal fibre of the material.”

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3 "Fenton, Edward" to "Finistere" by Various

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 Ernest Weekley

Armed with a quick wit and southern charm, she took control of her show business career that spanned more than 60 years.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

During a prolific career that spanned six decades, Parton penned some 3,000 tunes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Her entertainment empire, worth more than $500 million, spanned multiple venues including the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., which draws more than two million visitors annually.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

For those who’d insisted that only self-paced classes would attract the market share of international business, the people taking my classes ironically spanned 50 countries.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

A mile farther on, they came upon a second face, carved into a chestnut tree that grew beside an icy stream, where its eyes could watch the old plank bridge that spanned its flow.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

The "polka dot queen" channelled hallucinations and battles with mental health into vibrant art featuring her trademark dots, nets and infinity motifs over a career spanning decades and continents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

With operations spanning petrochemicals, textiles and shipbuilding, it employs more than 300,000 people and records revenue north of $100 billion a year—more than Tesla or Boeing—according to the company’s website.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Fans can expect performances spanning symphony orchestras, ballet, jazz, opera and theater as well as events with libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, yogurt/ice cream shops and more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The new charges relate to four new accusers with allegations spanning from 2010-17, according to British prosecutors.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

At a point near the north end of the woods road there was a bridge spanning the ravine that cut a deep, jagged gash across the road and through the fields beyond.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

Related Words

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