,noun, verb, spanned, span⋅ning.| 1. | the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended. |
| 2. | a unit of length corresponding to this distance, commonly taken as 9 in. (23 cm). |
| 3. | a distance, amount, piece, etc., of this length or of some small extent: a span of lace. |
| 4. | Civil Engineering, Architecture.
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| 5. | the full extent, stretch, or reach of anything: a long span of memory. |
| 6. | Aeronautics. the distance between the wing tips of an airplane. |
| 7. | a limited space of time, as the term or period of living: Our span on earth is short. |
| 8. | Mathematics. the smallest subspace of a vector space that contains a given element or set of elements. |
| 9. | to measure by the hand with the thumb and little finger extended. |
| 10. | to encircle with the hand or hands, as the waist. |
| 11. | to extend over or across (a section of land, a river, etc.). |
| 12. | to provide with something that extends over: to span a river with a bridge. |
| 13. | to extend or reach over (space or time): a memory that spans 90 years. |
| 14. | Mathematics. to function (in a subspace of a vector space) as a span. |
| 15. | Archery. to bend (the bow) in preparation for shooting. |

span 3 (spān) v. Archaic A past tense of spin. |