span
spanned; spans; spanning
Any distance between two things is called a span. These end points can be physical, like the span of a rope between two trees, or they can be more abstract, such as the span of time between five and six o'clock.
Span comes from the Old English spann, the width of the stretched-out hand, measured from thumb to little finger. It came to refer to various other measurements, such as the distance across an arch. The first reference to a length of time came in the late 16th century, and the phrase "attention span" first appeared in 1922 (as "span of attention").
-
the distance or interval between two points
-
type of:
-
distance
the property created by the space between two objects or points
-
distance
-
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
-
synonyms:
bridge
-
examples:
- show 26 examples...
- hide 26 examples...
-
Angostura Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Orinoco River at Ciudad Bolivar
-
Baton Rouge Bridge
a cantilever bridge across the Mississippi at Baton Rouge
-
Bayonne Bridge
a steel arch bridge connecting New Jersey and Staten Island at Bayonne, New Jersey
-
Benjamin Franklin Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Delaware River
-
Bosporus Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Bosporus at Istanbul
-
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
a suspension bridge across the East River in New York City
-
Brooklyn Bridge
a suspension bridge across the East River in New York City; opened in 1883
-
Commodore John Barry Bridge
a cantilever bridge in Chester, Pennsylvania
-
Delaware Memorial Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Delaware River
-
George Washington Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey
-
Golden Gate Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Golden Gate
-
Greater New Orleans Bridge
twin cantilever bridges across the Mississippi at New Orleans
-
Humber Bridge
a suspension bridge at Hull, England; 4,626 feet long
-
Kammon Strait Bridge
a suspension bridge between Kyushu and Honshu
-
Mackinac Bridge
a suspension bridge across the channel between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan
-
Minato Ohashi Bridge
cantilever bridge at Osaka, Japan
-
New River Gorge Bridge
a steel arch bridge across New River at Fayetteville, West Virginia
-
Pierre Laporte Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Saint Lawrence River at Quebec
-
Ponte 25 de Abril
a suspension bridge across the Tagus River at Lisbon
-
Quebec Bridge
a cantilever bridge in Quebec
-
Queensboro Bridge
a cantilever bridge across the East River between Manhattan and Queens
-
Sydney Harbor Bridge
a steel arch bridge in Sydney, Australia
-
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
a suspension bridge across Puget Sound at Tacoma
-
Tappan Zee Bridge
a cantilever bridge across the Hudson River
-
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Verrazano Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Island
-
Walt Whitman Bridge
a suspension bridge across the Delaware River
-
types:
- show 17 types...
- hide 17 types...
-
Bailey bridge
a temporary bridge designed for rapid construction
-
cantilever bridge
bridge constructed of two cantilevers that meet in the middle
-
cattle grid, cattle guard
a bridge over a ditch consisting of parallel metal bars that allow pedestrians and vehicles to pass, but not cattle
-
covered bridge
a bridge whose passageway is protected by a roof and enclosing sides
-
drawbridge, lift bridge
a bridge that can be raised to block passage or to allow boats or ships to pass beneath it
-
footbridge, overcrossing, pedestrian bridge
a bridge designed for pedestrians
-
flyover, overpass
bridge formed by the upper level of a crossing of two highways at different levels
-
bateau bridge, floating bridge, pontoon bridge
a temporary bridge built over a series of pontoons
-
rope bridge
a bridge consisting of ropes
-
steel arch bridge
a steel bridge constructed in the form of an arch
-
suspension bridge
a bridge that has a roadway supported by cables that are anchored at both ends
-
toll bridge
a bridge where toll is charged for crossing
-
trestle bridge
a bridge supported by trestlework
-
truss bridge
a bridge supported by trusses
-
viaduct
bridge consisting of a series of arches supported by piers used to carry a road (or railroad) over a valley
-
gangboard, gangplank, gangway
a temporary bridge for getting on and off a vessel at dockside
-
jet bridge
an extendible bridge for loading passengers onto large commercial airplanes; provides protected access to the plane from the gate
-
type of:
-
construction, structure
a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
-
a unit of length based on the width of the expanded human hand (usually taken as 9 inches)
-
type of:
-
linear measure, linear unit
a unit of measurement of length
-
linear measure, linear unit
-
the complete duration of something“the job was finished in the span of an hour”
-
types:
-
attention span
the length of time you can concentrate on some idea or activity
-
type of:
-
continuance, duration
the period of time during which something continues
-
attention span
-
the act of sitting or standing astride
-
cover or extend over an area or time period
-
two items of the same kind
Vocabulary lists containing span
Learn these words from Into Literature, Grade 6, Unit 4, Lessons 1–2.
Although he is suffering from amnesia, Jason must embark on a quest with his friends Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera.
Learn these terms and build a solid engineering vocabulary. This comprehensive list covers simple machines, electricity, force and momentum, building materials and structural elements, and much more. This list is sure to cement your understanding of engineering.
Look up span for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
