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
Charlotte Observer, 16 June 2026
And the recipient of the foundation’s Lifetime Achievement award was Nancy Silverton, whose career spans four decades as a chef, baker, restaurateur, and author, particularly in Los Angeles with restaurants like Campanile and Osteria Mozza, and the La Brea Bakery.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 16 June 2026
This massive acquisition spans 419,253 square feet.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 June 2026
One of London's most beloved slices of tranquillity and nature, Hampstead Heath spans nearly 800 acres and is the place to be during sunny weather and summer months.
—Ruchira Sharma, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 June 2026
Simisolaoluwa Akande is a Nigerian British multiaward-winning artist filmmaker whose work spans fiction and speculative nonfiction.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 June 2026
Sponsored by New England Chevy Dealers Just a short drive from Newport, Rhode Island, the Norman Bird Sanctuary spans 300 acres of fields, forests, and coastal trails with sweeping views and more than six miles of hiking paths.
—Rachel Holt, CBS News, 14 June 2026
This one, located up to 23,000 feet below the surface of the southeastern Indian Ocean, spans the largest area and is so far the deepest and oldest found.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
Authorities at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which spans parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, also reported a spike in encounters between aggressive bears and humans in April.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 10 June 2026
Verb
Charlotte’s news cycle so far this week spans a major banking leadership change, a high-stakes mayoral selection and the close of a chapter at a brand-new high school.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 June 2026
And the recipient of the foundation’s Lifetime Achievement award was Nancy Silverton, whose career spans four decades as a chef, baker, restaurateur, and author, particularly in Los Angeles with restaurants like Campanile and Osteria Mozza, and the La Brea Bakery.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 16 June 2026
This massive acquisition spans 419,253 square feet.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 June 2026
One of London's most beloved slices of tranquillity and nature, Hampstead Heath spans nearly 800 acres and is the place to be during sunny weather and summer months.
—Ruchira Sharma, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 June 2026
Simisolaoluwa Akande is a Nigerian British multiaward-winning artist filmmaker whose work spans fiction and speculative nonfiction.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 June 2026
Sponsored by New England Chevy Dealers Just a short drive from Newport, Rhode Island, the Norman Bird Sanctuary spans 300 acres of fields, forests, and coastal trails with sweeping views and more than six miles of hiking paths.
—Rachel Holt, CBS News, 14 June 2026
This one, located up to 23,000 feet below the surface of the southeastern Indian Ocean, spans the largest area and is so far the deepest and oldest found.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
Authorities at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which spans parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, also reported a spike in encounters between aggressive bears and humans in April.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 10 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
-
Griffin's attorneys said has not seen Altum in 35 years and said the pair never met in 2019 or were in a youth group together in middle school, as Altum claimed in her lawsuit.—
Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
Speaking with Handler, Oteri revealed that their friendship began as the pair attended a Milken Institute dinner in April.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
16 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
-
Solo travelers were abundant, though most travelers were couples, with a few families sprinkled in too.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
Weddings, no offense to the couples who have them, are socio-celebratory rorschach tests that are almost designed to hold a magnifying glass up to the lives of their guests.—
Bobby Finger
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 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 19 Jun. 2026.
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