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
Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The pool includes not just right, center and left but religious Jewish parties and an Arab party — a much wider span than in Hungary.
—Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 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
In the past two drafts, Ohio State has had 25 players picked, tied for the most in a two-year span.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The pool includes not just right, center and left but religious Jewish parties and an Arab party — a much wider span than in Hungary.
—Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Recent Examples of Synonyms for span
Verb
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By tracking the brightest part of a burst, scientists can measure how its frequency changes over time.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
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The album marks the biggest streaming week of any album in 2026, Kahan’s largest streaming week and the biggest week for a rock album since Billboard began measuring by units in 2014.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
3 May 2026
Noun
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Alegría credited the pair’s experienced producing partners with helping guide them through the most unfamiliar process of preparing for the final cut and getting ready for the marketing, press, distribution conversations with Amazon as well as FilmNation.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
4 May 2026
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Even Luke Skywalker dons a pair of beige Levi’s—transformed from a miner’s uniform into a symbol of rebellious cool by the likes of James Dean—to blend in with the desert sands of Tatooine, a former mining outpost.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
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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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The painting may be the first appearance in art of the American doctrine of Manifest Destiny, a term coined the year before by the newspaperman and diplomat John O’Sullivan.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 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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The couple reportedly have a home in New York City, where the party could be held.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
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Bradford advises packing one blanket per family member, along with a couple of extras.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
It is fitted out with a teaching kitchen, a podcast-production space, a large classroom called the Democracy in Action Lab, and a recording studio.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Jay Blackman Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas as transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.—
Jay Blackman,
NBC news,
4 May 2026
Verb
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An entrepreneur can launch and scale with far less infrastructure.—
Bruce Broussard,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, as the industry continues to scale, another concern begins to take shape, centered on the nature of the connection between patient and provider.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
29 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 5 May. 2026.
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