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

Sube Shoten, a tofu maker founded in 1877 during Japan’s Meiji era, reportedly ceased operations in May and began preparing to file for bankruptcy as low profit margins and a recent surge in raw-material costs clouded its business outlook. — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026

Know More It’s been more than a decade since the president’s party lost control of the Senate during a midterm election. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Police had found a large quantity of gasoline inside three of the five vans seized during last Sunday’s arrests. — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026

On the politics, his statement summons a legacy-killing disaster by wagering that nothing will go wrong, when something likely will go wrong during his presidency. — Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 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