ever
Americanadverb
-
at all times; always.
an ever-present danger; He is ever ready to find fault.
- Synonyms:
- constantly, perpetually, eternally
- Antonyms:
- never
-
continuously.
ever since then.
-
at any time.
Have you ever seen anything like it?
-
in any possible case; by any chance; at all (often used to intensify or emphasize a phrase or an emotional reaction as surprise or impatience).
How did you ever manage to do it? If the band ever plays again, we will dance.
adjective
idioms
-
ever and again, now and then; from time to time. Also ever and anon.
-
ever so, to a great extent or degree; exceedingly.
They were ever so kind to me.
adverb
-
at any time
have you ever seen it?
-
by any chance; in any case
how did you ever find out?
-
at all times; always
ever busy
-
in any possible way or manner
come as fast as ever you can
-
informal (intensifier, in the phrases ever so, ever such, and ever such a )
ever so good
ever such bad luck
ever such a waste
-
archaic now and then; from time to time
-
slang he displays the quality concerned in abundance
Related Words
See always.
Etymology
Origin of ever
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English ǣfre
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Scottish Greens are hoping for their best election result ever at the upcoming Holyrood election, but have suffered bouts of infighting recently.
From BBC
"And never in a thousand years did I ever think that Victor would take it to heart and take it to the Moon, which is what he's done," the pioneering astronaut told AFP.
From Barron's
"The productivity of that -- in terms of how much you could extract from it -- peaked in the late 1990s and it's been in decline ever since," she added.
From Barron's
They will watch as four astronauts blast into space in the hope of flying around the Moon and potentially travelling further from Earth than anyone has ever been before.
From BBC
“If prices stayed at this level, it would mean an extra $11 billion in annual expense just for jet fuel. For perspective, in United’s best year ever, we made less than $5 billion,” Kirby said.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
