as in measured
to find out the size, extent, or amount of
tried to span the distance between the two trees by eye alone
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Recent Examples of spanned
Joe Don Baker, an actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years, died at age 89 on May 7.
—
Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
At its widest in the 1950s, the inlet spanned 500 feet across and 13 feet deep.
—Jack Prator, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
The trial spanned three days, and then the case went to the jury.
—Stephanie Slifer, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
The longest parade float, a paper dragon in Gutian, China, spanned a half-mile in 2012.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Its picks spanned nine industries, including retail, energy and shipping.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
At its peak, the AJC produced more than 600,000 copies of its Sunday edition and circulation spanned every corner of Georgia into Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 1 Jan. 2026
The test lineup spanned China’s EV market, from compact city cars to full-size SUVs, covering nearly all major price segments.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Kirkland’s acting career spanned six decades, ran the gamut from film to TV to the stage, and comprised over 250 roles.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Nov. 2025
Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
At its widest in the 1950s, the inlet spanned 500 feet across and 13 feet deep.
—Jack Prator, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
The trial spanned three days, and then the case went to the jury.
—Stephanie Slifer, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
The longest parade float, a paper dragon in Gutian, China, spanned a half-mile in 2012.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Its picks spanned nine industries, including retail, energy and shipping.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
At its peak, the AJC produced more than 600,000 copies of its Sunday edition and circulation spanned every corner of Georgia into Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 1 Jan. 2026
The test lineup spanned China’s EV market, from compact city cars to full-size SUVs, covering nearly all major price segments.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Kirkland’s acting career spanned six decades, ran the gamut from film to TV to the stage, and comprised over 250 roles.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spanned
Verb
-
For all the sites, CNN measured the additional square footage of buildings by year since 2020, and analyzed the specific facilities seen in satellite imagery to determine their purpose.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index overall have risen every month since April.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In other words, male respectability was gauged by how successfully women’s bodies were regulated.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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Having escaped disaster and gauged the full extent of American self-deterrence, Putin began putting pressure on Ukraine’s neighbors and suppliers.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spanned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spanned. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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