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
Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
These stories span crime, business, local government and more.
—Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
CBS News, 3 May 2026
The Legacy were shut out in four of their first five games — and scored only one goal over that span — but notched two goals in a draw against the North Carolina Courage on Wednesday.
—Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Verb
Federal charges span from November 2024 to May 2025.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
These stories span crime, business, local government and more.
—Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
The Padres were shut out for the first time at home since last May 31 against Pittsburgh, a span of 69 games that was the longest active streak in the majors.
—CBS News, 3 May 2026
The Legacy were shut out in four of their first five games — and scored only one goal over that span — but notched two goals in a draw against the North Carolina Courage on Wednesday.
—Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Recent Examples of Synonyms for span
Verb
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Whether the execution matches the ambition will depend on decisions being made right now about how much to spend, where to direct it and whether the data systems needed to measure success get rebuilt.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
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For years, however, scientists lacked a reliable way to measure the real-time power of these jets.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The Mayor, after arriving with his chief of staff and first deputy mayor, zipped off a pair of ankle boots and joined the men on the floor.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
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Amid aspersions and attack ads, the pair nearly came to blows at a community debate.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Carolyn Hax started her Washington Post advice column in 1997, after five years on the Style desk and none as a therapist.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
15 May 2026
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Fifteen people jailed at Rikers died that year, the beginning of an uptick toward the deadliest annual figures in almost a decade.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Verb
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On Monday, lawyers for the two sides gauged potential jurors' views of Musk, Altman and artificial intelligence, leading some to admit to having a negative perception of Musk due to his political views.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
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Offensive line remains a question mark The offensive line is the toughest position to gauge because injuries were a massive issue in the spring, but the unit struggled in the scrimmage.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There are baking projects like homemade bagels, riffs on fast-food favorites, and a couple of drinks to round things out.—
Hannah Lee Leidy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
9 May 2026
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Even if his hair were jet-black, the last couple of weeks would be capable of turning anyone’s hair gray.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Noun
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The chef Eric Ripert and his partner, Maguy Le Coze, understand that space and time are as much luxuries as the commitment to craft and decades of dedication that give each plate here a consummate gleam.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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Each of the treatment rooms is named for a different flower or herb, and inside, that specific fragrance fills the space.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Up next, the goal is to scale this framework across diverse applications, such as lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
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Lindell’s lab, funded by MARINER, focused on improving crop yield by selectively breeding kelp with desirable qualities — such as nonreproductive capabilities to prevent interbreeding with wild kelp — so that, down the line, farmers could scale up their kelp production.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 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 12 May. 2026.
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