Thesaurus results for SPANNING

spanning

verb

present participle of span

as in measuring

to find out the size, extent, or amount of tried to span the distance between the two trees by eye alone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spanning In the Algarve’s inland countryside, guests can explore the world of beekeeper José Maria Martinez, who continues a family practice spanning three generations and nearly 1,000 hives. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 Few contemporary authors embody that idea more than Becky Chambers, whose stories imagine alternative futures—not through grand revolutions or galaxy-spanning battles but through ordinary people trying to care for one another. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 12 Oct. 2026 The merger has brought together two of Europe’s largest production groups, with operations spanning scripted and unscripted television, film and distribution, and ultimately gave them a bigger footprint in English-language production. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 In the past year, the music world saw a genre-spanning slate of artists both wearing their hearts on their sleeves in their art, as well as publicly prioritizing their own mental health like never before. — Rob Ledonne, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2026 In the heart of midtown Manhattan, the German orchestra performed a program of Italian music spanning Verdi, Leoncavallo, and Respighi, among others. — Aaron Royce, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2026 The technique’s definition is slippery, spanning actors’ deep character study, extreme physical transformations and staying in character for months; some performers reject the label or the practice. — Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 Here are five more, spanning Rees, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Dja Dja comprises 14 songs of polyphonic glitz, MIDI fugues, and Balinese gamelan to form an epic suite spanning ancient timbres and hectic sound design, pure pop and a beguiling avant-garde. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spanning

Verb

One mirror focused the X-rays vertically, while the other focused them horizontally, concentrating the beam into a spot measuring just 180 × 330 nanometers.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Organizations developing solutions that leverage AI should focus on connecting expertise and insights, deploying effective solutions in a timely fashion and, importantly, objectively measuring impact.

— Brad Kreick, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of measuring

Browse Nearby Words

span-new

spanning

spans

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spanning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spanning. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of spanning

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes