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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spans
Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026
The National Park Service issued a warning about the presence of hazardous quicksand areas near the shoreline and at drainages in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which spans across both Arizona and Utah.
—Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
And, just maybe, that can go at least a few inches toward explaining the enduring popularity of mah-jongg—also variably spelled mah jong, mahjong, mah jongg, and more, with our spelling taken from Merriam-Webster—one that spans continents and centuries.
—Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 10 Mar. 2026
The home spans just over 4,200 square feet and offers five bedrooms and six bathrooms in total.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2026
Their expertise spans kids, animation, comedy, unscripted, prestige dramas, CBS procedurals and lots of sports.
—Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Celebrity body art spans every aesthetic.
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
The park spans 11 acres, with multiple gardens showcasing heritage plants, succulents, cacti, and herbs.
—Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
One Night in Manchester precedes his record-breaking global tour Together, Together, which spans seven cities worldwide with 67 shows in 2026, kicking off May 16 with a 10-night residency in Amsterdam, before moving on to London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York City, Melbourne and Sydney.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
The company purchases natural gas from the Transco and Columbia Gas Transmission pipelines connected to major shale production regions, including the Marcellus and Utica deposits which stretch from West Virginia to Canada and the Haynesville deposit which spans Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026
The National Park Service issued a warning about the presence of hazardous quicksand areas near the shoreline and at drainages in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which spans across both Arizona and Utah.
—Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
And, just maybe, that can go at least a few inches toward explaining the enduring popularity of mah-jongg—also variably spelled mah jong, mahjong, mah jongg, and more, with our spelling taken from Merriam-Webster—one that spans continents and centuries.
—Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 10 Mar. 2026
The home spans just over 4,200 square feet and offers five bedrooms and six bathrooms in total.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2026
Their expertise spans kids, animation, comedy, unscripted, prestige dramas, CBS procedurals and lots of sports.
—Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Celebrity body art spans every aesthetic.
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
The park spans 11 acres, with multiple gardens showcasing heritage plants, succulents, cacti, and herbs.
—Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
One Night in Manchester precedes his record-breaking global tour Together, Together, which spans seven cities worldwide with 67 shows in 2026, kicking off May 16 with a 10-night residency in Amsterdam, before moving on to London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York City, Melbourne and Sydney.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spans
Verb
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The Collegiate Consulting study focuses largely on branding and visibility through a metric known as advertising value equivalency (AVE), which measures how much advertising would cost with equivalent exposure.—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Standing out in the six-bedroom, 10-bathroom spread, which measures 20 feet wide and 8,000 square feet across six levels, is a living room with two seating areas, a linear fireplace, and a bay window.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The eight-team tournament opens with a pair of first-round games on Wednesday.—
Dan Arritt,
Oc Register,
11 Mar. 2026
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But in less than an hour, their lives would drastically change as the pair would be arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The discrepancies tended to be largest in lower-income regions, including parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, where there are typically fewer local tide gauges and direct ocean measurements; these places are more reliant on models that perform poorly there.—
Marcos Magaña,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
An intensification of violence in Iran and the Gulf triggered a global stock selloff earlier this week, driving credit risk gauges higher and stifling primary issuance.—
Claire Ruckin,
Bloomberg,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Those checking in seemed to be young couples, families visiting New York University, and a few coworkers on business trips.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
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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,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The 308-pound calf was the first elephant born at the zoo in almost 25 years and only the third elephant birth in the zoo’s 136-year history.—
Michael E. Ruane,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
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The event has been held annually for the past fifteen years, but this year there was an extra layer of sombreness to the proceedings, which the overcast skies seemed to reflect.—
Edwidge Danticat,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The result is a highly uncertain outlook as the market weighs growth versus inflation.—
Michael MacKenzie,
Bloomberg,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Smothers weighs the same as Brown, but runs with more authority between the tackles.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Benevolent Venus complements rule-minded Saturn in your 11th House of Friendship, encouraging clear agreements with your teams and friends.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Severe thunderstorms that began in northern Indiana appeared to spawn multiple tornadoes in southern Michigan the previous day, said meteorologist Lonnie Fisher of the National Weather Service, which sent teams to the region to evaluate damage and confirm tornadoes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This year has been defined by swings — stretches of dominant basketball followed by nights when things unravel quickly.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
This most recent season, even with Clark missing large stretches due to injury, the WNBA reached its revenue-sharing target for the first time, sending another $8 million to players per terms of the previous CBA.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spans. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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