span meaning

Verb: span (spanned,spanning)  span

1. To cover or extend over an area or time period
   "The parking lot spans 3 acres"; "The novel spans three centuries"
   - cross, traverse, sweep

Noun: span  span

1. The complete duration of something
   "the job was finished in the span of an hour" 
2. The distance or interval between two points 
3. Two items of the same kind
   - couple, pair, twosome, twain, brace, yoke, couplet, distich, duo, duet, dyad, duad 
4. A unit of length based on the width of the expanded human hand (usually taken as 9 inches) 
5. A structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
   - bridge 
6. The act of sitting or standing astride
   - straddle

Verb: spin (span,spun,spinning)  spin

1. Revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
   - spin around, whirl, reel, gyrate 
2. Stream in jets, of liquids 
3. Cause to spin
   "spin a coin"
   - whirl, birl [UK], twirl 
4. Make up a story
   "spin a yarn" 
5. Form a web by making a thread
   "spiders spin a fine web" 
6. Work natural fibers into a thread
   "spin silk" 
7. Twist and turn so as to give an intended interpretation
   "The President's spokesmen had to spin the story to make it less embarrassing" 
8. Prolong or extend
   "spin out a visit"
   - spin out

Derived forms: spanning, spanned, spans

See also: spinner, spinning

Type of: 2, circumvolve, construction, continuance, continue, cook up, cover, create from raw material, create from raw stuff, deuce, distance, distort, draw out, duration, extend, fabricate, go around, II, invent, lay out, linear measure, linear unit, make up, manufacture, motility, motion, move, movement, present, prolong, protract, represent, revolve, rotate, stream, structure, twine, twist, two, well out

Part of: transit, transportation, transportation system

Encyclopedia: Span

Spin

[Architecture]
1.

The interval between two terminals of a construction.

2.

The distance apart of any two consecutive supports, esp. as applied to the opening of an arch.

3.

A structural member (or part of a member) between two supports.

[Engineering]
A structural dimension measured between certain extremities.

[Finance]
To cover all contingencies within a specified range.

[Medicine]
n
1 : an extent of distance or of time; esp : LIFE SPAN
2 : MEMORY SPAN

[Computer]
An IEEE 802.1 standard under consideration which will provide distributed routing over multiple LANs connected by bridges.

• attention span:    Noun: attention sp ...
• chikou span:    [Finance]A compone ...
• clear span:    [Architecture]The ...

Examples

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1. his political life spans half a century.
2. his knowledge spans many different areas.
3. a steel railway bridge spans the yalu river.
4. normal cells show a finite life span.
5. one inch of joy surmounts grief of a span.