during

"During" is a preposition with one core meaning, but it's used in two subtly different ways that are worth knowing. It's an extremely common word you'll encounter every day in English.

1prepositionthroughout a period of time

Use 'during' to say that something happened continuously or repeatedly across an entire stretch of time. Think of it as pointing inside a time period and saying 'all through this time'.

everyday language · Modern, widely used

It rained during the whole trip.

She felt nervous during the entire exam.

The shop was closed during the holidays.

2prepositionat some point within a period of time

Use 'during' to say that something happened at one specific moment inside a longer time period — not necessarily the whole time, just somewhere within it. Imagine a timeline: 'during' places an event somewhere on that line.

everyday language · Modern, widely used

He fell asleep during the movie.

Someone called during the meeting.

During the night, the temperature dropped suddenly.