as in to measure
to find out the size, extent, or amount of
tried to span the distance between the two trees by eye alone
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of span
Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
His career spans more than three decades with a focus on California’s Central Valley.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Mano Negra existed for the span of four albums, and over several generations.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Verb
Raybould said the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort in northeast Dallas — which spans the Esperanza neighborhood and the Woodmeadow Parkway and Ferguson Road area — has helped reduce crime.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
His career spans more than three decades with a focus on California’s Central Valley.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
Reaves was playing at an All-Star level during that span.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Mano Negra existed for the span of four albums, and over several generations.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Recent Examples of Synonyms for span
Verb
-
Robust biogenic indicators must be predicted, measured, and observationally validated.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
-
One attempts to measure the passage of time in her outfit changes — a white jacket, shiny black leggings, a tight leather pencil skirt — although the exact numbers blur when Melania attempts to count them.—
Amy Nicholson,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Seattle Seahawks lead the New England Patriots 9-0 at halftime of Super Bowl LX on a pair of field goals by kicker Jason Myers.—
Chuck Schilken,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The writer Michael Wolff, meanwhile — the only journalist to have written about spending extensive time with Epstein — appears in the files sharing a draft of a profile with Epstein, and thanking him for a pair of shoes.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Simultaneously, Musk is pivoting Tesla away from its legacy as a car manufacturer and toward a future in robotics and AI, committing $20 billion this year to the transition.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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The only requirements for the position are lived experience as a parent or child in the child welfare system, having had their welfare case closed for one year, and not having any criminal system involvement for two years.—
Raynee Howell,
Oklahoma Watch,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rather than making calls to gauge the value of its own players, Detroit is doing its due diligence in answering incoming queries.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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By 2018, the property took shape after the construction of the wetlands, park and street planning was completed, and the city decided to issue requests for proposals to gauge interest in developing three parcels of land that would’ve been connected with the trails and park.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Prosecutors allege Richins poisoned her husband with a cocktail laced with illicit fentanyl while the couple was celebrating at their home in March 2022.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Seoul, South Korea — Excited young couples roam a bustling convention center trying on baby carriers, testing strollers and learning the latest safety features of car seats.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Finding space elsewhere helped in both matches against Sunderland, with an overlapping run from Riccardo Calafiori creating space for Trossard away from home.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Musk’s trimming of his previous space travel predictions came after SpaceX acquired XAI last week, in a move that will merge two of his most ambitious companies into the most valuable private firm in the world.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To this end, the company has scaled its Neuroplatform system by tripling the lab’s surface area and expanding from a single hardware setup to several running simultaneously to accommodate more users.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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The broadside rippled across corporate America as companies accelerated efforts to scale back or scrap DEI programs that could put them in the president’s crosshairs.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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An abrasion-resistant Cordura overlay covers the shoulders, hood and upper sleeves for extra durability, and an extra layer of synthetic down in the yoke, upper sleeves, and draft flap improve heat retention.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
4 Feb. 2026
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The jeans feature a four-piece contour waistband to avoid waistline gaps, and an exclusive yoke-over-body construction with angled back pockets to highlight curves.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Span.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/span. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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