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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Recent Examples of spans
Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
The store spans two floors and the furniture includes the Demi Lune console table by Adam Williams and another table designed by Stefan Leo.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025
Jones’s journey to BioLife spans more than three decades of experience across retail operations, construction, and health and wellness development.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
There’s a budget for a show that spans a particular season.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Kat Graham, Jessica Sula, and Laura Harrier round out a supporting cast that spans Jackson’s artistic and familial worlds.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
Following Pelosi’s announcement, her fellow Democrats have reacted to the news and paid tribute to her service, which spans nearly four decades.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Our list of sci-fi horror novels spans from 20th-century classics to modern masterpieces, all testing how far humanity goes before reason falters and horror takes over.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
The four-day weekend features Michelin star and James Beard Award winning chefs, renowned sommeliers, and an exciting lineup of live music from Grammy-award winners that spans genres from Americana and bluegrass to rock and roll and the blues.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
While both share similarities, including a history that spans over 200 years, the Farmers' Almanac and The Old Farmer's Almanac are different.
—Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
The store spans two floors and the furniture includes the Demi Lune console table by Adam Williams and another table designed by Stefan Leo.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025
Jones’s journey to BioLife spans more than three decades of experience across retail operations, construction, and health and wellness development.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
There’s a budget for a show that spans a particular season.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Kat Graham, Jessica Sula, and Laura Harrier round out a supporting cast that spans Jackson’s artistic and familial worlds.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
Following Pelosi’s announcement, her fellow Democrats have reacted to the news and paid tribute to her service, which spans nearly four decades.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Our list of sci-fi horror novels spans from 20th-century classics to modern masterpieces, all testing how far humanity goes before reason falters and horror takes over.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
The four-day weekend features Michelin star and James Beard Award winning chefs, renowned sommeliers, and an exciting lineup of live music from Grammy-award winners that spans genres from Americana and bluegrass to rock and roll and the blues.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spans
Verb
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The property’s lot measures 4,640 square feet in area.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The radio chart measures the number of plays each song received in a particular week.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The pair were first linked in August 2023.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Each tank holds 40 liters, and each cleaning cycle uses roughly one liter of water per pair of shoes.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Counter Culture starts you off with a quick quiz that gauges your preferences.—
Brittany Loggins,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Flood forecasts Along the coast, moderate to major flooding is forecast at nearly three dozen tide gauges from North Carolina to Long Island over the weekend, including the Chesapeake and Delaware bays.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Reagan and Wyman were among the most powerful couples in Hollywood at the time of adoption, having met on the set of the 1938 military comedy Brother Rat, and with Wyman winning an Oscar for her performance in the gritty drama Johnny Belinda in 1948.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
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In the 1960s, Weiss, the sociologist, published research on married couples who moved to the Boston area from another state.—
Jenny Singer,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Coming off a career-high 73 points and just 24 years old on a $7 million-per-year deal (a bargain relative to Kaprizov's soon-to-be $17 million per year), Boldy is entering his prime and the Wild are looking for big things from him.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The open-top Speedster weighs under 900 kilograms, or just below 2,000 pounds.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Greenland may further test the limits Graham’s comments come as the administration weighs not only its next steps in Venezuela, but also Greenland.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As of January 7, seven teams are looking for a new coach, including the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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That's not to mention the lower ranks where teams like James Madison or Tulane might find their way into the 12-team field, only to get obliterated in the playoff and lose their coaches and half their players to Power Five schools along the way.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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His tendency to look for the shot before the pass is affecting his teammates, and overall the team’s offense is going through some horrible stretches.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
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What Most Thrift Stores Can't Accept Large Appliances Refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, and other large appliances that are still in good working order are great to pass along, but thrift stores often don’t have space to keep these items for long stretches of time.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spans. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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