wingspan

American

[wing-span] / ˈwɪŋˌspæn /

noun

the distance between the wing tips of an airplane.
wingspread.

wingspan British

/ ˈwɪŋˌspæn, ˈwɪŋˌsprɛd /

noun

the distance between the wing tips of an aircraft, bird, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of wingspan

First recorded in 1915–20; wing + span ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An F-35, for comparison, is about 52 feet long with a 35-foot wingspan.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

And the best available data, such as wingspan or 40-yard dash time, have little to do with actual blocking or tackling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Today’s decision reveals California’s considerable wingspan: That case’s ipse dixit now apparently governs all APA challenges to grant-funding determinations that the government asks us to address in the context of an emergency stay application.

From Slate • Jan. 3, 2026

MD-11s are just over 61 metres long and have a wingspan of 52 metres, smaller than Boeing 747s , which are roughly 76 metres long and have a wingspan of 68 metres.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

With powerful jet engines and a wingspan longer than its fuselage, the spy plane was "part jet, part glider," according to Powers.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023