over the span of

USAGE SUMMARY

"over the span of" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is used to refer to a period of time, which can be very long or very short. For example, "Over the span of five years, I have learned a lot about business."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

These samples were collected over the span of two months.

Stanford University

Prices could not possibly have fallen so far over the span of a century.

The New Yorker

Over the span of those two weeks, he took home $1.8 million.

The New York Times - Magazine

The campaign estimates the plan to cost about $350bn over the span of 10 years.

The Guardian - Money

Over the span of 40 years, Doriot taught nearly 7,000 students at Harvard Business School.

Harvard University

Our analysis was conducted over the span of 17 years, from 2001 through 2017.

University of California, Berkeley

Over the span of 640 miles, that's an additional $680 million in costs.

The Washington Post

Over the span of Jewish history, many have attempted to reframe and restructure Judaism.

The New York Times - Books

Over the span of 14 hours, the caterpillar schmear degraded 13percentt of the polyethylene mass.

The Washington Post

Over the span of the next three days, I met some of Leriadis's patients.

The New York Times - Magazine

The rest is history: 228 goals scored over the span of eight seasons for Arsenal.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "over the span of" to clearly define the time period in which an event occurs or a process unfolds. This helps in providing a specific temporal context to your writing.

Common error

Avoid replacing "of" with prepositions like "in" or "for". The correct form is "over the span of". For example, use "over the span of five years" instead of "over the span in five years".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "over the span of" functions as a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb or noun, indicating the time period during which an action occurs or a state exists. Ludwig shows that this phrase is widely used to provide temporal context.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Academia

30%

Science

20%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

4%

Formal & Business

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "over the span of" is a versatile prepositional phrase used to define a time period during which something occurs. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's grammatically sound and commonly used in various contexts, particularly in news, academic writing, and scientific reports. While alternatives like "during the course of" exist, "over the span of" provides a clear and widely understood way to express duration. It's essential to use the correct preposition "of" to avoid common errors. This phrase exhibits a neutral tone suitable for diverse writing styles, making it a reliable choice for specifying timeframes.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

over the period of

A more formal way to express a duration.

during the course of

Focuses more on the progression of events than the duration itself.

for the duration of

Indicates that something continues until the end of a particular period.

throughout the period of

Emphasizes the continuity of an action or state throughout the specified time.

in the time frame of

Emphasizes the boundaries in which something happens.

within the timeframe of

Highlights that something occurs inside the given temporal boundaries.

in the duration of

Stresses the total time that something lasts.

across the timeline of

Implies a sequential progression of events over time.

encompassing the years of

Highlights that something includes all the years in the given period.

spanning the length of

Highlights the reach or extent of something across a time period.

FAQs

What does "over the span of" mean?

The phrase "over the span of" means during a particular period of time. It indicates the duration in which something happens or exists.

How to use "over the span of" in a sentence?

You can use "over the span of" to specify a time period for an event. For example: "The project was completed "over the span of three months"".

Which is correct, "over the span of" or "during the span of"?

"Over the span of" is more common and natural-sounding than "during the span of". While both are understandable, "over the span of" is the preferred usage.

What can I say instead of "over the span of"?

You can use alternatives like "during the course of", "throughout the period of", or "over the period of" depending on the specific context.