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
Synonym Usage
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.
Ever since, the 1968 and 1974 African champions have been kept on the game's periphery by a combination of conflict, corruption, poor football governance and a lack of facilities.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
"Ever since the fighting started in the Middle East, my profits have fallen, but I don't dare raise prices for my customers," he told AFP.
From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026
"Ever since the 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-oki earthquake in Japan, we realized that the tsunami data had really valuable information for constraining shallow slip," said Melgar.
From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026
In 2021, a 1,300-foot containership called the Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days, triggering massive disruption in global supply chains.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026
Ever since our car ride home from church, my brain couldn’t stop examining the idea of faith without facts.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
