attention span

noun

: the length of time during which one (such as an individual or a group) is able to concentrate or remain interested

Examples of attention span in a Sentence

people with short attention spans

Recent Examples on the Web

Then there are the fragmented attention spans birthed by our dearly beloved screens, which cultivate a kind of cognitive whiplash that vacillates between amnesia and yearning for more. — Christopher Coffman, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026

Pressure, in turn, is hostage to the mediators’ attention span—which is almost always short. — Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026

In our era of short attention spans, that raises an obvious problem. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026

Then, at the end of 2024, a friend started talking to them about vertical storytelling just as a burgeoning new form of entertainment for shorter attention spans, known as the microseries, began taking off in Asia. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for attention span

• assemblyman
• carbofuran
• catamaran
• chipewyan
• illinoian
• newspaperman
• nurseryman
• afghan
• bedpan
• began
• caveman
• chapin

Kids Definition

attention span

noun

: the length of time during which one is able to concentrate or remain interested