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
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
The park spans nearly 1 million square kilometers to the east of the Great Barrier Reef.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
In the span of reading just one sentence, over a timescale of just over three seconds, that implies that about a thousandth of a galaxy becomes newly visible.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Verb
The dawn of remote work and the shift to digital opened up a pool of labor that spanned the globe.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
The park spans nearly 1 million square kilometers to the east of the Great Barrier Reef.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
The decline has accelerated sharply in recent weeks, with net approval dropping roughly 5 points over a short span.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
In the span of reading just one sentence, over a timescale of just over three seconds, that implies that about a thousandth of a galaxy becomes newly visible.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Recent Examples of Synonyms for span
Verb
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Whether measured in testosterone levels, bone density, lung capacity, or muscle mass, biological males carry inherent physical advantages over women.—
Lisa Frizell,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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Keep the rollout simple, measure what works, and if replies scatter, create a thread to organize them.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Angels were even with the Mariners through three innings on a pair of RBI singles from Jorge Soler, then went ahead 4-2 in the fourth on a run-scoring error by Seattle third baseman Leo Rivas and an RBI infield single from Schanuel.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
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Chicago police had to bust up a pair of street takeovers early Sunday morning.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Private infrastructure data center deals were consistently above the $10 billion mark last year, according to data from Preqin.—
April Roach,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
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The 24-year-old right-hander made his major league debut as a late replacement for right-hander Ryan Johnson, who fell ill, and had to bob and weave through the early innings.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To support the flight, there has been a sharpening of space weather forecasting skills — an ability to better gauge the sun's activity and to help assure crew safety if a hazardous uptick in solar action rears its energetic head.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 2026
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The 2026 Consumer Trust Survey was conducted by surveying 1,000 Americans to gauge consumer sentiment regarding home service costs, price transparency and provider trust.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The season starts with 16 single contestants, and the last couple standing not only leaves the boat with a new boo, but gets a $100,000 trip around the world.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
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Those who knew the couple told the Herald there were no glaring red flags.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Back then in the race, the goal was to beat the Soviet Union in space and to the moon, which was accomplished.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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With 33 seconds remaining, after scoring five straight points and in possession of the ball, the Warriors used Curry’s gravity to draw defenders out of the paint, giving Gary Payton II enough space to catch a pass from Draymond Green and put in a layup for a 116-115 lead.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Vietnamese airlines are planning to significantly reduce flights and scale back operations next month due to the high costs brought upon by the conflict, as well as potential jet fuel shortages.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
1 Apr. 2026
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But Blumhouse has built a much bigger business scaling that sensibility into something arguably less prestigious but more commercially reliable.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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No one’s going to be stuck in a hand-over-hand situation like in a Tesla, with its horrid implementation of a yoke.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
2 Apr. 2026
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John holds on to the yoke, looking straight ahead, as alarms and red lights blare on the control panel.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Span.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/span. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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