wingspan
noun
wing·span
ˈwiŋ-ˌspan 
: the distance from the tip of one of a pair of wings to that of the other
also
: span sense 2c
Examples of wingspan in a Sentence
The hawk has a wingspan of about three feet.
a plane with a 200-foot wingspan
Recent Examples on the Web
Edey, the 2023 National Player of the Year, had his wingspan measured at 7-10 1/2 at last summer's NBA Scouting Combine.
—
Bob Holt, Arkansas Online, 1 Nov. 2023
This year’s new entries included a nine-foot-tall bat-like creature, with a wingspan of 12 feet and a 12-foot-tall ghost and witch (selling for $349 and $299, respectively).
—Bychris Morris, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2023
About a seven-foot wingspan helps me a lot to keep those defenders at bay.
—Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 5 Aug. 2023
Predator of the Night, an animatronic beast with a visible rib cage and blood-red veins rippling through his 12-foot wingspan, also has made a promising debut, according to Allen.
—Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
Using his unique wingspan at inside linebacker, Gentry had two tackles, one for loss, and a pass breakup against Stanford after missing the second game of the season with an undisclosed injury.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Thomas’ ability to use his wingspan to bring in each of his three touchdowns made Weigman’s job a lot easier.
—Grant Gaspard, Dallas News, 3 Sep. 2023
The Triton has a wingspan of 130 feet, meaning that its wings stretch wider than those on a 737.
—Kelsey D. Atherton, Popular Science, 28 Sep. 2023
Their dainty bodies aren’t much longer than a typical ruler, from bill to tail, but their wingspans are over double that, and plenty strong to propel them, in spring, from their winter homes in Southeast Asia to Alaska and Siberia.
—WIRED, 26 Aug. 2023
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Bob Holt, Arkansas Online, 1 Nov. 2023
This year’s new entries included a nine-foot-tall bat-like creature, with a wingspan of 12 feet and a 12-foot-tall ghost and witch (selling for $349 and $299, respectively).
—Bychris Morris, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2023
About a seven-foot wingspan helps me a lot to keep those defenders at bay.
—Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 5 Aug. 2023
Predator of the Night, an animatronic beast with a visible rib cage and blood-red veins rippling through his 12-foot wingspan, also has made a promising debut, according to Allen.
—Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
Using his unique wingspan at inside linebacker, Gentry had two tackles, one for loss, and a pass breakup against Stanford after missing the second game of the season with an undisclosed injury.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Thomas’ ability to use his wingspan to bring in each of his three touchdowns made Weigman’s job a lot easier.
—Grant Gaspard, Dallas News, 3 Sep. 2023
The Triton has a wingspan of 130 feet, meaning that its wings stretch wider than those on a 737.
—Kelsey D. Atherton, Popular Science, 28 Sep. 2023
Their dainty bodies aren’t much longer than a typical ruler, from bill to tail, but their wingspans are over double that, and plenty strong to propel them, in spring, from their winter homes in Southeast Asia to Alaska and Siberia.
—WIRED, 26 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wingspan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1917, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near wingspan
Cite this Entry
“Wingspan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wingspan. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
wingspan
noun
wing·span
ˈwiŋ-ˌspan
: the distance between the tips of a pair of wings (as of a bird or an airplane)
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