as in measures
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
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 spans
Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
Crowning a nine-story building that had been just built at the time of her purchase, the One of Them Days star’s NYC condo spans about 1,500 square feet, with three bedrooms and equal baths.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 9 June 2026
Today its owner is committed to preserving her family’s historic home, which spans 37 acres of gardens and farmland.
—Ruchira Sharma, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
The 6th District spans Rocklin in the north to West Sacramento in the south.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
After introducing the central characters of the present narrative, O’Farrell dramatically widens her lens to conjure a brisk yet haunting saga of the peninsula and its inhabitants that spans millennia preceding Tomás’s arrival.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Created by Thomas Astruc, Jérémy Zag and Nathanaël Bronn, the franchise spans six seasons — with a seventh currently in production — as well as spin-offs and a feature film.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 June 2026
Meanwhile, his filmography continued to grow, now a roster that spans from Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Deepika Padukone.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 2 June 2026
This brainstorming unit spans 148,000 square feet (1,300 sq m) across three buildings, and is equipped for full-size clay modeling, fabrication and immersive digital collaboration.
—New Atlas, 2 June 2026
Verb
The arch spans 78 feet and rises 65 feet high, drawing hikers eager to experience one of the region’s most striking landmarks.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
Crowning a nine-story building that had been just built at the time of her purchase, the One of Them Days star’s NYC condo spans about 1,500 square feet, with three bedrooms and equal baths.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 9 June 2026
Today its owner is committed to preserving her family’s historic home, which spans 37 acres of gardens and farmland.
—Ruchira Sharma, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
The 6th District spans Rocklin in the north to West Sacramento in the south.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
After introducing the central characters of the present narrative, O’Farrell dramatically widens her lens to conjure a brisk yet haunting saga of the peninsula and its inhabitants that spans millennia preceding Tomás’s arrival.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Created by Thomas Astruc, Jérémy Zag and Nathanaël Bronn, the franchise spans six seasons — with a seventh currently in production — as well as spin-offs and a feature film.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 June 2026
Meanwhile, his filmography continued to grow, now a roster that spans from Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Deepika Padukone.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 2 June 2026
This brainstorming unit spans 148,000 square feet (1,300 sq m) across three buildings, and is equipped for full-size clay modeling, fabrication and immersive digital collaboration.
—New Atlas, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spans
Verb
-
The study looked at whether the park has been recognized and certified by DarkSky, the Bortle rating (a nine-level scale that measures the night sky's brightness) and the likelihood of clear nights, to create an overall stargazing score.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
This automatically measures the distance between the edges of the folding panels, uses sensors to detect offsets and recalibrates the brightness of adjacent LEDs to hide the tiny slot.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
The pair visited Ethiopia in 2019 and met with Sahle-Work Zewde, the first woman president of Ethiopia to discuss ways to help girls continue their schooling.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
The Kansas City Chiefs opened a pair of voluntary OTA practices to the media this spring, giving the first glimpses of the 2026 roster as the team prepares for training camp.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Ten years ago, on Mother’s Day, Fiona Galvin reported her 17-year-old daughter missing.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Over the past 10 years, Quinn has seen an increase in challenging behavior and more emotions among her 6- and 7-year-olds, with a particular ramp-up since the pandemic.—
Stacker,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The annual Social Security trustees report, which gauges these timelines, is expected to be released this month.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
-
Several stock market gauges around the world — from the US to Taiwan — have now erased all their losses since the start of the Iran war, as financial markets price in a possible path to peace.—
Pratigya Vajpayee,
Bloomberg,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As a result, the crowd is a mix of everyone from brunching neighborhood residents and locals on staycations to international tourists and older couples enjoying the city for the weekend.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 June 2026
-
This left Kenzie and Sean without their couples for the next 24 hours.—
Carolyn Burt,
Oc Register,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Despite Mike Trout’s strong start to the season and strong stretches from starters José Soriano, Reid Detmers and Walbert Ureña, the Angels have had a worse first half this season with first-year manager Kurt Suzuki at the helm.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
In between, there are stretches of wide valleys filled with junipers, pinyon pines, and jackrabbits peeking out from the sagebrush.—
Tamara Gane,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
According to Booster, the T1 stands about 3 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 66 pounds.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
-
Each weighs about a third of a pound.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
And many young soccer fans will get the chance to cheer on those teams while standing on the grandest stage itself.—
Chelsea Torres,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Solak, who has now played at least one game with five different MLB teams, pinch-hit for Will Wagner in the fifth inning.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spans. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
