In mathematics, the linear span (also called the linear hull or just span) of a set S of vectors (from a vector space), denoted span(S), is defined as the set of all linear combinations of the vectors in S. For example, two linearly independent vectors span a plane. It can be characterized either as the intersection of all linear subspaces that contain S, or as the smallest subspace containing S. The linear span of a set of vectors is therefore a vector space itself. Spans can be generalized to matroids and modules.

To express that a vector space V is a linear span of a subset S, one commonly uses the following phrases—either: S spans V, S is a spanning set of V, V is spanned/generated by S, or S is a generator or generator set of V.