as in measures
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 spans
Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
The construction spans 5 miles between West Burleigh Street and West Good Hope Road and includes multiple ramp improvements and roadway rehabilitation.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Due May 15 via International Anthem, Happy Today spans two expansive, 20-minute-plus songs.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
Construction on the facility, which spans a little over 2,300 square feet, started in November 2025, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
—Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Mar. 2026
The museum is dedicated entirely to 19th-century German and Austrian art and design, with a collection that spans paintings, furniture, sculpture, photography, and manuscripts.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
The foundation hosts a permanent collection of art and artifacts that spans the Renaissance period to contemporary art.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
The casino, which opened in 2022, spans 100,000 square feet with more than 2,100 slot machines and more than 80 table games.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Once solved, the data flowing through the station spans optical, hyperspectral, radar, and infrared imaging.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
The park spans nearly 1 million square kilometers to the east of the Great Barrier Reef.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
The construction spans 5 miles between West Burleigh Street and West Good Hope Road and includes multiple ramp improvements and roadway rehabilitation.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Due May 15 via International Anthem, Happy Today spans two expansive, 20-minute-plus songs.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
Construction on the facility, which spans a little over 2,300 square feet, started in November 2025, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
—Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Mar. 2026
The museum is dedicated entirely to 19th-century German and Austrian art and design, with a collection that spans paintings, furniture, sculpture, photography, and manuscripts.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
The foundation hosts a permanent collection of art and artifacts that spans the Renaissance period to contemporary art.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
The casino, which opened in 2022, spans 100,000 square feet with more than 2,100 slot machines and more than 80 table games.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Once solved, the data flowing through the station spans optical, hyperspectral, radar, and infrared imaging.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spans
Verb
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Earlier this month, Frisco — which measures less than two square miles and has a population of about 3,000 — and those agencies worked out a plan for wildfire fuel reduction on national forest land.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
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For vessels still carrying crude exports from the Gulf, accurate positioning data is crucial for mitigating risks of collisions or running aground when passing through the narrow Strait, which measures only 21 miles (33 km) at its narrowest, Kpler's Subasic said.—
Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In Paris, the Museum of the Prefecture of Police possesses just a guillotine blade, while the closest thing on view at the Carnavalet Museum is a two-foot-tall model guillotine and a pair of dangly brass guillotine earrings.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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The pair were not the only ones considering Olsson’s Wyscout clips.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Although streamflow gauges suggested that water levels were falling at Wahiawa dam by Friday afternoon, Parker said, the dam is not out of the woods.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
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Joe Raedle | Getty Images The conflict in Iran erased any improvement in consumer sentiment since February, according to early March data from the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers, which gauges how households feel about their own financial health and that of the economy.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For couples, Sandals Royal Plantation, Sandals Dunn’s River, and Excellence Oyster Bay won’t disappoint.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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One is 1969’s Paul Mazursky comedy, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in which two couples wind up over their heads in stretching the moral limits of their relationships in an ever-changing society.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The trial was delayed for years because of multiple postponements, defense challenges over the use of DNA evidence, and the efforts of prosecutors to reconstruct events involving multiple victims across a five-year timeline.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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The 308-pound calf was the first elephant born at the zoo in almost 25 years and only the third elephant birth in the zoo’s 136-year history.—
Michael E. Ruane,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Edelmira Firman stands 4-foot-11 and weighs around 140 pounds, deputies said.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Murray is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 230 pounds, and was last seen wearing a gray shirt, gray sweatpants and black and blue shoes.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For many years, the top pick was determined by a coin flip between the worst teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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When the teams met earlier this season on Black Friday, UConn easily handled Illinois in a 74-61 victory.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Brown and White returned to the lineup, but both struggled for long stretches as Boston fell to 50-25.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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Each session includes gentle stretches, calming breath work and mindful movement to help ease your pregnancy.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spans. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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