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 of span

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

Noun

The nearly 2,500-square-foot co-op spans the top two floors of the circa 1850s building and overlooks Clement Clarke Moore Park, a private greenspace shared by the block’s residents. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 Nov. 2025

The entertainer posted two videos in the span of one week, reportedly from a doctor's office. —Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Nov. 2025

Verb

Now, celebrations span across Davis, Police Chief Todd Henry has said. —Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025

In the new study, Allowen Evin of the University of Montpellier in France and her colleagues analyzed hundreds of dog and wolf skulls that spanned the past 50,000 years. —Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 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 : lifespan

2

: memory span