wingspan
noun
wing·span
ˈwiŋ-ˌspan 
: the distance from the tip of one of a pair of wings to that of the other
also
: span sense 2c
Examples of wingspan in a Sentence
The hawk has a wingspan of about three feet.
a plane with a 200-foot wingspan
Recent Examples on the Web
The unpiloted demonstrator will have a 30-foot wingspan, weigh about 7,000 pounds and reach speeds to Mach 0.7, or 537 mph.
—
Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024
Wiley features the height and length to play above the rim, with impressive ball skills and a massive wingspan.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
Nicholson was 6-foot-3, with long legs and an absurd wingspan — the sort of size at cornerback that coaches salivate over.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Tell that to his 81-inch wingspan — making him effectively 6-foot-9.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Harrell features an impressive wingspan, and has room to add extra weight to his frame.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
The twin-engine jets, which cost about $30 million apiece, weigh about 25 tons each, with a wingspan of 43 feet (13.1 meters) and a length of almost 64 feet (19.4 meters).
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Nancy Caruso sat on an island in the North Pacific Ocean just inches from a Laysan albatross and watched as the large black-and-white sea bird with a 6.5-foot wingspan added grass to its nest to cover up a precious 4-inch white egg.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2024
Soaring birds–such as condors, eagles, hawks, albatrosses, gulls, storks and gannets–generally rely on large wingspans and slotted feathers at the wingtip to keep them in flight with little flapping.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024
Wiley features the height and length to play above the rim, with impressive ball skills and a massive wingspan.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
Nicholson was 6-foot-3, with long legs and an absurd wingspan — the sort of size at cornerback that coaches salivate over.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Tell that to his 81-inch wingspan — making him effectively 6-foot-9.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Harrell features an impressive wingspan, and has room to add extra weight to his frame.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
The twin-engine jets, which cost about $30 million apiece, weigh about 25 tons each, with a wingspan of 43 feet (13.1 meters) and a length of almost 64 feet (19.4 meters).
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Nancy Caruso sat on an island in the North Pacific Ocean just inches from a Laysan albatross and watched as the large black-and-white sea bird with a 6.5-foot wingspan added grass to its nest to cover up a precious 4-inch white egg.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2024
Soaring birds–such as condors, eagles, hawks, albatrosses, gulls, storks and gannets–generally rely on large wingspans and slotted feathers at the wingtip to keep them in flight with little flapping.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wingspan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wingspan
Cite this Entry
“Wingspan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wingspan. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wingspan
noun
wing·span
ˈwiŋ-ˌspan
: the distance between the tips of a pair of wings (as of a bird or an airplane)
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