over/during - interchangeability and difference

Question

I'm considering going to France over the christmas holidays.

I'm considering going to France during the christmas holidays.

Or

I went to my friend's place over the weekend.

I went to my friend's place during the weekend.

What's the difference between the first two and the second two sentences? Are over and during interchangeable in some scenarios?

They are fairly similar. Possibly "over" will carry the sense of "for the whole holiday", while "during" might cover just a part of it, but it's something you'd have to clarify. — ralph.m, Commented Dec 11, 2018 at 7:37
A look at ngrams suggests 'during' has always been much more common in both British and English. 'Over' has always been more common in American than British, but in recent decades, its use has begun rising in both. — Ross Murray, Commented Dec 11, 2018 at 8:38
@ralph.m So you'd derive the pretty much same meaning from either sentence? — Pleep Ploop, Commented Dec 11, 2018 at 21:22
over and during do not mean the same thing. For pete's sake. — Lambie, Commented Aug 3, 2020 at 21:26

Lambie · Accepted Answer · 2020-08-03 21:25:50Z

-1

during the weekend or holiday, means at some point during those times.

I went to France during the week for two days, not over the weekend.

It does not necessarily mean the whole time (weekend or holidays).

That's why we would say:

to mean the entire weekend or the entire holidays.

for and over would have the same meaning in those two cases. Not during.

answered Aug 3, 2020 at 21:25

Lambie

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