span

1 of 4

ˈspan 

archaic past tense of spin

span

2 of 4

noun (1)

1

: the distance from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger of a spread hand

also : an English unit of length equal to nine inches (22.9 centimeters)

2

: an extent, stretch, reach, or spread between two limits: such as

a

: a limited space (as of time)

especially : an individual's lifetime

b

: the spread or extent between abutments or supports (as of a bridge)

also : a portion thus supported

c

: the maximum distance laterally from tip to tip of an airplane

span

3 of 4

verb

spanned; spanning

transitive verb

1

a

: to measure by or as if by the hand with fingers and thumb extended

b

: measure

2

a

: to extend across

a career that spanned four decades

b

: to form an arch over

a small bridge spanned the pond

c

: to place or construct a span over

3

: to be capable of expressing any element of under given operations

a set of vectors that spans a vector space

span

4 of 4

noun

: a pair of animals (such as mules) usually matched in appearance and action and driven together

Synonyms

Verb

• measure
• gauge
• scale

Examples of span in a Sentence

Verb

His career as a singer spanned three decades.

Their empire once spanned several continents.

Her academic interests span a wide variety of topics.

A bridge spans the river.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Evacuation orders for White Sage Fire The evacuation zone spans a wide area north of the Grand Canyon, bounded by the Utah state line to the north, Grand Canyon National Park to the south, House Rock Valley Road/Buffalo Ranch Road to the east, and Kaibab National Forest to the west. —Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 13 July 2025

The menu spans wet- and dry-aged USDA Prime, plus Australian and Japanese Wagyu. —Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025

Noun

Sánchez threw just six of his next 28 pitches outside the strike zone in that span, and one of those was called a strike. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025

Take a few steps back, and the loom looks like a miniature suspension bridge – one that carries centuries of history across a span no wider than a yoga mat. —Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 13 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English spann; akin to Old High German spanna span, Middle Dutch spannen to stretch, hitch up

Noun

Dutch, from Middle Dutch, from spannen to hitch up

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1769, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing span

• attention span
• health span
• life span
• span-new
• spic-and-span
• spick-and-span
• time span

Rhymes for span

• an
• ban
• bran
• can
• cann
• clan
• duan
• fan
• flan
• gran
• jann
• klan

Kids Definition

span

1 of 3 noun

ˈspan 

1

: the distance from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger of a spread hand

also : an English unit of length equal to 9 inches (about 22.9 centimeters)

2

a

: a limited portion of time

span of life

b

: the spread (as of an arch) from one support to another

c

: the portion supported to form a span

span

2 of 3 verb

spanned; spanning

1

a

: to measure by or as if by the hand with fingers and thumb extended

b

: measure entry 2 sense 2

2

a

: to reach or extend across

a bridge spans the river

a career that spans four decades

b

: to place or construct a span over

span

3 of 3 noun

: a pair of animals (as mules) driven together

Etymology

Noun

Old English spann "distance measured by the outstretched hand"

Noun

from Dutch span "a pair of animals driven together," derived from earlier spannen "to hitch up"

Medical Definition

span

noun

ˈspan 

1

: an extent of distance or of time

especially : life span

2

: memory span