What does "span" mean?
The full width of an open hand from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger used as an informal unit of length.
Span
/spæn/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The full width of an open hand from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger used as an informal unit of length.
- Grammar: span is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bridge, a breath, a wide range, accouple.
- Useful contrasts: no span, boundary, brevity.
- Usage evidence: The bridge has a span of 100 meters.
How to use "span"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "span" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "span" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "span" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "span" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "span" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bridge" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "span", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The full width of an open hand from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger used as an informal unit of length.
- 2 the act of sitting or standing astride wordnet
- 3 Any of various traditional units of length approximating this distance, especially the English handspan of 9 inches forming ⅛ fathom and equivalent to 22.86 cm.
- 4 a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc. wordnet
- 5 A small space or a brief portion of time. broadly
"He has a short attention span and gets bored within minutes."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 the distance or interval between two points wordnet
- 7 A portion of something by length; a subsequence.
"For example, in OpenOffice.org or Microsoft Word, each span of text can have a style that defines key characteristics about the text: • What font it uses • Whether it's normal, bolded, italicized, […]"
- 8 a unit of length based on the width of the expanded human hand (usually taken as 9 inches) wordnet
- 9 The spread or extent of an arch or between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between supports.
"The force of the explosion demolished one pair of piers and two spans of the bridge crashed down into the river on top of the barges."
- 10 two items of the same kind wordnet
- 11 The length of a cable, wire, rope, chain between two consecutive supports.
- 12 the complete duration of something wordnet
- 13 A rope having its ends made fast so that a purchase can be hooked to the bight; also, a rope made fast in the center so that both ends can be used.
- 14 A pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action. Canada, US
- 15 The space of all linear combinations of vectors within a set.
- 16 The time required to execute a parallel algorithm on an infinite number of processors, i.e. the shortest distance across a directed acyclic graph representing the computation steps.
"We use the term span (also called depth, or dependence depth) to refer to the number of parallel steps assuming an unbounded number of processors."
- 17 wingspan of a plane or bird
Verb
- 1 To extend through the distance between or across. transitive
"The suspension bridge spanned the canyon."
- 2 simple past of spin dated, form-of, past, uncommon
"But when Adam delued, and Eue ſpan, VVho was then a Gentleman?"
- 3 to cover or extend over an area or time period wordnet
- 4 To extend through (a time period). transitive
"The parking lot spans three acres."
- 5 To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object. transitive
"to span a space or distance; to span a cylinder"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To generate an entire space by means of linear combinations.
- 7 To be matched, as horses. US, dated, intransitive
- 8 To fetter, as a horse; to hobble. transitive
"We spanned the dogs high up a corrie to the south of the ridge […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 Acronym of Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 3 Acronym of Switched Port Analyzer, a Cisco technology. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The bridge has a span of 100 meters."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "span"?
Common synonyms include: bridge, a breath, a wide range, accouple, accumulate, ace.
How do you use "span" in a sentence?
The bridge has a span of 100 meters.
How do you pronounce "span"?
Pronounced /spæn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English spanne, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spannō (“span, handbreadth”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- (“to stretch”). Cognate with Dutch span, spanne, German Spanne. The sense “pair of horses” is probably from Old English ġespan, ġespann (“a joining; a fastening together; clasp; yoke”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?]. Cognate with Dutch gespan, German Gespann.
Etymology 2
From Middle English spannen, from Old English spannan, from Proto-Germanic *spannaną (“to stretch, span”). Cognate with German spannen, Dutch spannen.
Etymology 3
From Middle English span, from Old English spann, from Proto-Germanic *spann, first and third person singular preterit indicative of Proto-Germanic *spinnaną (“to spin”).
Etymology 4
* As a Slovene surname, from župan (“head of a district”), from župa (“district”); compare Zupan. * As a German surname, variant of Spahn; also Spann. * As a Jewish surname from Span (“chip”) (probably through Yiddish).