span

verb

/spæn/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they span	/spæn/ /spæn/
he / she / it spans	/spænz/ /spænz/
past simple spanned	/spænd/ /spænd/
past participle spanned	/spænd/ /spænd/
-ing form spanning	/ˈspænɪŋ/ /ˈspænɪŋ/

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span something to last all through a period of time or to cover the whole of it
- His acting career spanned 55 years.
- Family photos spanning five generations were stolen.
span something to include a large area or a lot of things
- The operation, which spanned nine countries, resulted in 200 arrests.
- His experience spanned not merely politics, but also business and journalism.
span something to stretch right across something, from one side to the other synonym cross
- a series of bridges spanning the river
- The roof was spanned by curved ribs of steel.
Topics Buildingsc1

span

noun

/spæn/

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the length of time that something lasts or is able to continue
- I worked with him over a span of six years.
- The project must be completed within a specific time span.
- Small children have a short attention span.
- a study of the entire span of Arab history
see also lifespan
Extra Examples
- The book covers the entire span of Arab history.
- The speech continued well beyond its allotted span.
- to prolong life beyond its natural span
- I worked with him several times over a span of six years.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- long
- brief
- short
- …
verb + span
- cover
preposition
- over a/the span
phrases
- a span of time
- a span of years
See full entry
span (of something) a range or variety of something
- Managers have a wide span of control.
- These forests cover a broad span of latitudes.
Extra Examples
- Managers have a wide span of responsibilities.
- a broad span of interests
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- full
- broad
- wide
- …
See full entry
the part of a bridge or an arch between one support and another
- The bridge crosses the river in a single span.
Topics Buildingsc2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- full
- broad
- wide
- …
See full entry
the measurement of something from one side to the other
- The kite has a span of 1.5 metres.
see also wingspan
Extra Examples
- The bridge has 10 arches, each of a 30-foot span.
- The bridge has a clear span of 120 feet.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- full
- broad
- wide
- …
See full entry

Word OriginOld English, ‘distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger’, of Germanic origin; reinforced in Middle English by Old French espan.

span

adjective

/spæn/

Idioms

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Word OriginOld English, ‘distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger’, of Germanic origin; reinforced in Middle English by Old French espan.

Idioms

spick and span

(also spic and span)

[not usually before noun] neat and clean
- Their house is always spick and span.
More Like This Alliteration in idioms
Alliteration in idioms
- belt and braces
- black and blue
- born and bred
- chalk and cheese
- chop and change
- done and dusted
- down and dirty
- in dribs and drabs
- eat somebody out of house and home
- facts and figures
- fast and furious
- first and foremost
- forgive and forget
- hale and hearty
- hem and haw
- kith and kin
- mix and match
- part and parcel
- puff and pant
- to rack and ruin
- rant and rave
- risk life and limb
- short and sweet
- signed and sealed
- spic and span
- through thick and thin
- this and that
- top and tail
- tried and tested
- wax and wane

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