during

preposition

dur·​ing ˈdu̇r-iŋ 

also ˈdyu̇r-

1

: throughout the duration of

swims every day during the summer

2

: at a point in the course of

was offered a job during a visit to the capital

Synonyms of during

• throughout
• by

Examples of during in a Sentence

She swims every day during the summer.

We got along well during the trip.

He worked in the field during most of the day.

During the interview, they asked about my previous jobs.

The fire alarm went off during the ceremony.

Recent Examples on the Web

No side allowed their opponents more shots across the first two Premier League rounds of the season (44) than Newcastle, and Bournemouth managed another 17 on Saturday, 13 of them during the first half. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will not be in attendance, but is expected to attend fundraisers in Dallas during the week, according to CBS News. — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2026

This could help reduce the time and cost associated with collecting real-world data during development. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026

The New Jersey native previously faced controversy during his time at ABC News. — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from present participle of duren to last, from Anglo-French durer, from Latin durare to harden, endure, last, from durus hard; perhaps akin to Sanskrit dāru wood — more at tree entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for during

• curing
• luring
• mooring
• touring
• alluring
• assuring
• contouring
• enduring
• ensuring
• insuring
• manuring
• maturing

Kids Definition

during

preposition

dur·​ing ˌd(y)u̇r-iŋ 

1

: throughout the course of

swims every day during the summer

2

: at some time in the course of

you may call me during the day