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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If someone pushes you to rush, keep your tone measured and propose a reasonable deadline that protects quality and keeps expectations aligned.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2026
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The value of home teams that money can’t measure is another.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Before any congregants showed up, however, a police car pulled into Beth El’s parking lot, and a pair of officers from the South Orange Police Department stepped out.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
However, in a pair of letters to the editor published in the Journal of Pediatrics, doctors criticized the article as hyped.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In 2012, yet another bomb affixed to a car killed the thirty-two-year-old Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, along with his driver.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Christopherson, a Star resident, is wrapping up his third year as principal of Hunter Elementary in Meridian after completing his principal internship at Star and Willow Creek elementary schools.—
Noah Daly,
Idaho Statesman,
30 Mar. 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
-
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
-
Crews are asking boaters and visitors in the area to give dive teams and emergency vessels space to operate safely as the search continues.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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The light, airy space on 53rd Street houses cooler-than-cool home decor items, tech accessories, tabletop design and furniture, jewelry, and accessories.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 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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