SINCE 1828
attention span
nounDefinition of attention span
: 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
Want to look like the intellectual type who gobbles up Shakespeare and historical biographies but only have the attention span for a Netflix special? — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "Please Stop Ruining Your Bookshelves with These Dumb Design Ideas," 12 Mar. 2019 There has been significant interest in how long this movement led by the Parkland students will last, especially given the short attention span of Washington. — Eugene Scott, Washington Post, "Parkland’s David Hogg challenges students to remain activists, even if they don’t go to college," 30 Mar. 2018 The second believes lengthy classroom sessions no longer work well, maintaining players' attention spans don’t allow for effective learning under those setups. — Mike Jones, USA TODAY, "UCLA's Josh Rosen hardly first Millennial who could challenge NFL coaches," 5 Apr. 2018 Since the advent of the smartphone, students in general have shorter attention spans and less impulse control. — WSJ, "Fed-Up Teachers Take Their Chances Elsewhere," 4 Jan. 2019 The book includes testimonials from former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and others that paint a picture of the president as a semi-literate ball of rage with a non-existent attention span who is cognitively declining before our eyes. — Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Concerns About Ronald Reagan’s Mental Health Were Handled Very Differently Than Trump’s," 14 Jan. 2018 Helene Stapinski writes about how Instagram helped her understand her 15-year-old daughter: Social media has been blamed for ruining our democracy, shortening our children’s attention spans and undermining the fabric of society. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Facebook’s role in the French protests has polarized observers," 11 Dec. 2018 There’s a tour for practically every curiosity and attention span. — Rick Steves' Europe, The Seattle Times, "Specialized tours enrich travel," 14 Nov. 2018 The entire site only takes about an hour to peruse entirely—which is good for those with short attention spans or those traveling with kids. — Laura Ratliff, Condé Nast Traveler, "5 Best Day Trips from Dubai," 4 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'attention span.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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