wingspan
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of wingspan
Explanation
To find a bird's wingspan, you need to measure the distance from the tip of one outstretched wing to the other. An eagle has a much larger wingspan than a sparrow. Anything with two wings has a wingspan, which is one way to get a sense of its size. So birds and butterflies can be measured for wingspan, but so can airplanes. A flying squirrel can have a wingspan of over a foot, and some hummingbirds have wingspans that are barely over an inch. Sports commentators often mention the wingspan of basketball players — in this case, they're referring to the distance between a player's outstretched fingertips.
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.
That might mean reading more novels or comics, collecting vinyl records or Blu-Rays, getting into knitting or art, or finally cracking that Wingspan board game that’s been gathering dust on your shelf.
From Slate • Mar. 8, 2025
Her mother also found programs that helped her daughter blossom, like the Wingspan Arts theater conservatory in Manhattan and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City.
From New York Times • Oct. 6, 2021
However the board game industry transforms in the next few years, it’ll be Wingspan that causes it.
From Slate • Aug. 15, 2021
Wingspan has transformed the way I think about games, about competition, and even about art.
From Slate • Aug. 15, 2021
In Wingspan, you, the player, control a small wildlife refuge, a little patch of ground with some forest, some grassland, a marsh.
From Slate • Aug. 15, 2021
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.
