as in to measure
to find out the size, extent, or amount of
tried to span the distance between the two trees by eye alone
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of span
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
That area spans north of State Avenue and between 126th and 118th streets.
—Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 2026
Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 10 Feb. 2026
So when keeping an eye on the Heat and Magic in the standings, keep in mind what each team did in a three-day span in February against the Jazz.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Verb
Based in London’s Mayfair, the new company’s services span from advisory in communications and brand building to influence, celebrity and events planning and delivery.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
That area spans north of State Avenue and between 126th and 118th streets.
—Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 2026
Noun
The results reveal the country’s luckiest states, cities, stores and lottery retailers in that span.
—Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 10 Feb. 2026
So when keeping an eye on the Heat and Magic in the standings, keep in mind what each team did in a three-day span in February against the Jazz.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Recent Examples of Synonyms for span
Verb
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Robust biogenic indicators must be predicted, measured, and observationally validated.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
-
One attempts to measure the passage of time in her outfit changes — a white jacket, shiny black leggings, a tight leather pencil skirt — although the exact numbers blur when Melania attempts to count them.—
Amy Nicholson,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Seattle Seahawks lead the New England Patriots 9-0 at halftime of Super Bowl LX on a pair of field goals by kicker Jason Myers.—
Chuck Schilken,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The writer Michael Wolff, meanwhile — the only journalist to have written about spending extensive time with Epstein — appears in the files sharing a draft of a profile with Epstein, and thanking him for a pair of shoes.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Simultaneously, Musk is pivoting Tesla away from its legacy as a car manufacturer and toward a future in robotics and AI, committing $20 billion this year to the transition.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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The only requirements for the position are lived experience as a parent or child in the child welfare system, having had their welfare case closed for one year, and not having any criminal system involvement for two years.—
Raynee Howell,
Oklahoma Watch,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Over the last month, Sportico spoke with more than 60 people inside and outside of MLS, including owners, team executives, bankers, investors and media experts, to gauge the business of the league.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Nuclear talks with the United States allowed Tehran to gauge Washington’s seriousness and showed enough consensus to continue on the diplomatic track, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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It’s turned rainy and cooler in the past couple of days, but the creosote bushes are blooming yellow.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
One of the most iconic couples of the 1990s, Carolyn and John’s place in Kennedy history was canonized by their untimely death by plane crash in 1999.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Finding space elsewhere helped in both matches against Sunderland, with an overlapping run from Riccardo Calafiori creating space for Trossard away from home.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Musk’s trimming of his previous space travel predictions came after SpaceX acquired XAI last week, in a move that will merge two of his most ambitious companies into the most valuable private firm in the world.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown was hosting a roundtable featuring seven Ohioans sharing stories about the financial pain that bloated health-care costs had inflicted on their families, compelling them to scale back their medical care.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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With the proof of concept demonstrated, Stanton began to scale up his setup, replacing the 88-pound (40 kg) weight as a bob and adding precision bearings and powerful magnets to a frame that resembled a trebuchet’s triangular frame.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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An abrasion-resistant Cordura overlay covers the shoulders, hood and upper sleeves for extra durability, and an extra layer of synthetic down in the yoke, upper sleeves, and draft flap improve heat retention.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
4 Feb. 2026
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The jeans feature a four-piece contour waistband to avoid waistline gaps, and an exclusive yoke-over-body construction with angled back pockets to highlight curves.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Span.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/span. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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