as in measures
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 spans
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
As first reported by The Art Newspaper, the gift spans centuries, from 16th-century ceramics to textiles, photographs, wooden objects, prints, and archival material tied to Rivera and his circle.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
His team spans Tesla, Waymo, Cruise, Apple, and Uber.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Madonna seemingly still owns the estate, which spans over 16,000 square feet.
—Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 20 Apr. 2026
Her expertise spans all 20 of the country’s regions, from the Dolomites in the north to Sicily.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2026
Unlike Honeywell, Dover has not announced plans to dramatically reshape its constellation of businesses, which spans from refrigerator doors to liquid cooling components for AI servers to car lifts at the autobody shop.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
BlueBird 7 is one of the largest satellites in space, with an antenna that spans 2,400 square feet (223 square meters).
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2026
Coverage at Interesting Engineering spans emerging technologies, novel manufacturing methods, and unconventional approaches to long-standing problems.
—Interesting Engineering, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
Through a surreal odyssey that spans a century, the hero searches for his identity and navigates the highs and lows of fame and notoriety.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
As first reported by The Art Newspaper, the gift spans centuries, from 16th-century ceramics to textiles, photographs, wooden objects, prints, and archival material tied to Rivera and his circle.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
His team spans Tesla, Waymo, Cruise, Apple, and Uber.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Madonna seemingly still owns the estate, which spans over 16,000 square feet.
—Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 20 Apr. 2026
Her expertise spans all 20 of the country’s regions, from the Dolomites in the north to Sicily.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2026
Unlike Honeywell, Dover has not announced plans to dramatically reshape its constellation of businesses, which spans from refrigerator doors to liquid cooling components for AI servers to car lifts at the autobody shop.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
BlueBird 7 is one of the largest satellites in space, with an antenna that spans 2,400 square feet (223 square meters).
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2026
Coverage at Interesting Engineering spans emerging technologies, novel manufacturing methods, and unconventional approaches to long-standing problems.
—Interesting Engineering, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spans
Verb
-
But the whale, which measures 12 to 15 meters (39 to 49 feet) long, never found its way back to the North Sea and was stranded again while becoming weaker and sicker.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The ride measures 2,604 feet in length, with a maximum height of 59 feet and top speeds of about 45 mph.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Layne Schillo had a pair of hits for Evergreen Park (15-4, 8-1).—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
After some spring training struggles, a season-opening assignment to Triple-A and a pair of forgettable starts, the pitcher is happy to have a scoreless start under his belt.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Although streamflow gauges suggested that water levels were falling at Wahiawa dam by Friday afternoon, Parker said, the dam is not out of the woods.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Joe Raedle | Getty Images The conflict in Iran erased any improvement in consumer sentiment since February, according to early March data from the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers, which gauges how households feel about their own financial health and that of the economy.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is where couples come to mark a special occasion or business travelers come to impress.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Editor Jeremy Rellosa spoke to couples about the easiest times to get an appointment, the best places for taking pictures, and where to make a Champagne toast afterward.—
Jeremy Rellosa,
Curbed,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The trial was delayed for years because of multiple postponements, defense challenges over the use of DNA evidence, and the efforts of prosecutors to reconstruct events involving multiple victims across a five-year timeline.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, is a devastating complication of prematurity that weighs heavily on our minds.—
Alexander Crider,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
He was born today at 11am and weighs 8 lbs.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The teams square off Monday for the fourth time this season.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
For many years, the top pick was determined by a coin flip between the worst teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Effortlessly stylish but wholly unpretentious, São Lourenço’s charming whitewashed buildings sit within vast stretches of organic vineyards, ancient olive groves, and wildflower meadows.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The draft footprint stretches from Point State Park to the North Shore, the NFL Draft Experience is free, fans can watch from Acrisure Stadium (which should have never been changed from Heinz Field, by the way) and the entertainment lineup includes Wiz Khalifa, Bret Michaels and Kane Brown.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spans. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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