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)”

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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

Its operations span more than 100 countries and territories, providing both armed and unarmed security guards as well as different types of security technology across industries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

These immense weather systems can span planetary scales, continually changing the appearance of the distant world.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

The deck replacement is necessary because traffic loads on the span have become increasingly heavy, and salt air has eroded bridge materials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

With a leg span of up to one metre and a body weight of more than 4kg, they are also the world's largest land-dwelling crustacean and are able to climb trees.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

The Hummingbird’s span was barely narrower than the ship’s corridor.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

The word came into Eng. through the Fr. chocolat or Span. chocolate from the Mex. chocolatl.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 "Chitral" to "Cincinnati" by Various

Lasso, Span. lazo, Lat. laqueus, snare, is a doublet of Eng. lace.

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

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

Lit. a place of poplars, from Span. álamo, a poplar.

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

Fr. moustique is for earlier mousquite, from Span. mosquito, a diminutive from Lat. musca, a fly.

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

The residence was designed by architect Kevin Clark and completed in 2011 after a lengthy construction process that spanned seven years.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Year: 2015 Compiled by: Laura Bennett Of note: Although the numerical scale spanned from 1–10, one particularly ignominious scene earned a score of −1.

From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026

“My service has spanned both Republican and Democratic administrations. I am not a politician, and I have no partisan loyalties,” he said.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

She went on to enjoy a lengthy career that spanned TV, radio and film and was perhaps best known for playing Dr Beatrice Mason in the 1980s BBC wartime TV drama Tenko.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Two bridges spanned it—one was well lit with traffic rumbling across it; the other was dark and deserted.

From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman

Behind those 12 games, however, lives a coaching journey spanning 23 years across many continents and a variety of roles.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Cahn began her television writing career on Aaron Sorkin’s acclaimed political drama, “The West Wing,” spanning seasons 4 through 7.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

But it’s also a show with a sound bite archive spanning decades which includes such hits as “Jane, you ignorant slut,” from a late-’70s “Weekend Update” sketch starring Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026

But it is widely diversified, spanning from Seattle to the Sunbelt to New York and New England.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

He still has a scar, spanning three of his fingers, where he accidentally sliced his skin open.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

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