span 1 of 2

verb

Definition of spannext
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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span

2 of 2

noun

1
as in pair

Related Words
2
as in year

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of span
Verb
As long as the predominant globe-spanning Navy kept the seas free for everyone, there was no reason to be affiliated with any state. — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 China and Russia were mapping these plans long before the US announced its own intention to build a nuclear reactor on the moon last year and detailed its plans for a lunar settlement spanning hundreds of square miles. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Noun
Over the span of human evolution, hominins accumulated 20 to 25 percent of their energy from these foods, the analysis found. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2026 Ambitiously filming over a 20-year span to capture different periods of time — much like his movie Boyhood — Linklater aims to wrap up production around 2039-2040. — Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for span
Recent Examples of Synonyms for span
  1. measure
  2. pair
  3. year
  4. gauge
  5. couple
  6. space
  7. scale
  8. yoke
Verb
  • The team deployed two high-altitude balloons with light sensors and 31 weather balloons to measure temperature, pressure, wind speed and humidity.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Everything the team knows about how fast the plasma is actually moving comes from the simulations rather than from the telescope, and the magnetic field driving the whole thing has never been measured directly at this scale.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of measure
Noun
  • Seeing Venus as a crescent in a pair of binoculars or a small telescope is a treat.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Below, shop my three favorite pairs, plus more of the Birks in my rotation.
    — Christina Butan, InStyle, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of pair
Noun
  • On Friday, a 14-year-old boy shot dead the grandparents who raised him in Nonthaburi before killing at least six others at his school and then turning the gun on himself, authorities said.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Against this backdrop, SEVENTEEN’s full thirteen-member renewal was the year’s most conspicuous counterexample.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of year
Verb
  • Meanwhile, the older adults’ confidence dropped, aligning with previous research showing that older adults are generally better able to gauge their ability to perform complex tasks.
    — C. Michael White, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Swaddle said the aim of the consultation was to gauge public opinion, which the council will consider in detail.
    — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of gauge
Noun
  • The couple was released after more than a month in immigration detention.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The new couple—who were first linked after reportedly meeting at Tribeca Film Festival—have been spotted sporadically over the last few months.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of couple
Noun
  • The 130 units sit adjacent to the MARTA Lindbergh Station and will be accompanied with 10,000 square feet of affordable commercial space.
    — Elijah Megginson, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • New York — More than 900 million SpaceX shares are set to unlock Thursday, more than doubling the publicly available stock in Elon Musk’s space and AI company, which has struggled since its record-breaking IPO just weeks ago.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of space
Verb
  • In the not-so-distant future, Musk mused, robots will be used to scale manufacturing on the moon.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Because the Blackbird is a brand-new concept and design project, physical customer production and track testing will not scale up until the Venom F5 program concludes around 2028.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of scale
Noun
  • Forest Service officials, their patience having long evaporated, arrived in force, handcuffing and hauling the occupiers out by the yokes of their flannels, then bulldozing the camp.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • Why, after all, did the feudal lords of the South, loyal to Church and throne, throw off the royal yoke to join the Revolution?
    — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of yoke

Phrases Containing span

Browse Nearby Words

spalls
span
spangle
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Cite this Entry

“Span.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/span. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on span

Nglish: Translation of span for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about span

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