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
Relevance
1
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of span
Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Participants span Europe, the Americas and across Asia, reflecting the rising appetite for cross-cultural content and co-productions.
—Faye Bradley, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
That means Edwards will miss at least four games, with the Timberwolves playing four times in a six-day span.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Verb
Thirty-five Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements now span markets from India and Kenya to the Eurasian Economic Union.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Participants span Europe, the Americas and across Asia, reflecting the rising appetite for cross-cultural content and co-productions.
—Faye Bradley, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Noun
More than 15 voters within the span of a half hour were redirected from the Orland Township Hall to the civic center because their voting address had changed.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
That means Edwards will miss at least four games, with the Timberwolves playing four times in a six-day span.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for span
Recent Examples of Synonyms for span
Verb
-
Bill Cooke, who leads NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, told NBC News at the time that the fireball and sonic booms were likely caused by a small, 7-ton asteroid measuring around 6 feet across.—
Jesse Kirsch,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The telescope will be used to observe the radio sky at frequencies below 50 MHz and will measure the low-frequency foreground of the universe.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Artyom Levshunov has spent the past week on the top defensive pair with Vlasic after his play in a 4-0 loss to Vegas.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Devers and Eldridge are an imperfect duo, a pair of left-handed hitting sluggers with minimal defensive versatility.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Originally presented as a technical overhaul of the justice system, the reform has sharpened political divisions and unified the center‑left opposition, turning the referendum into a symbolic showdown on Meloni's strength one year ahead of national elections.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Forward Sacha Boisvert, one of Chicago’s three first-round draft picks in 2024, is also expected to join the team shortly, after signing a three-year contract last week.—
Matt Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The extent of Superhuman’s legal exposure for this program is hard to gauge.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
-
At present, the model can correctly gauge that risk 60 percent of the time, Griffin says.—
Jyoti Madhusoodanan,
Scientific American,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There are photographers and lighting assistants and makeup artists, with each set of professionals clustered around the couple.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
-
For example, individual filers can receive up to $994, couples filing jointly can receive $1,491, and those providing essential care to SSI recipients can receive up to $498.—
Asher Notheis,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Americans’ confidence in the space program – and its own ingenuity – was shattered.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Backed by Yangtze River Industry Group, researchers aim to scale production, expecting chip-scale atomic clocks to expand into military and civilian communication applications as costs decline.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The city began tightening its belt around December, implementing a limited hiring freeze and scaling back some services after revenues came in $15 million to $20 million below projections.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The legislature can lighten the regulatory yoke on all businesses rather than play favorites with a few.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Today is the beginning of their fifth year under the yoke of war.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Span.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/span. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
