never
not ever; at no time: Such an idea never occurred to me.
not at all; absolutely not: never mind;This will never do.
to no extent or degree: He was never the wiser for his experience.
Idioms about never
never cease to amaze. See entry at never cease to amaze.
never mind, don't bother; don't concern yourself.
Origin of never
1Words Nearby never
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use never in a sentence
The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
He looks like a man who should have had kids, but now never will.
In an email exchange a friend said many had repeated this same succinct review but they could never elaborate.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist | Judnick Mayard | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTMeanwhile, almost exactly 30 years after the trial, the judge left his home to board a steamboat and was never heard from again.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion | Nina Strochlic | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTFor many years afterward it was a never-ending topic of conversation, and is more or less talked of even to this day.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion | Nina Strochlic | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Bessires was included because he would never win it at any later date, but his doglike devotion made him a priceless subordinate.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonNow, it immediately occurred to Davy that he had never in his whole life had all the plums he wanted at any one time.
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. CarrylArches more graceful in form, or better fitted to defy the assaults of time, I have never seen.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyThe policemen looked dull and heavy, as if never again would any one be criminal, and as if they had come to know it.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensThe King of Delhi had a hunting-lodge somewhere in the locality, but he had never seen the place.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
British Dictionary definitions for never
/ (ˈnɛvə) /
at no time; not ever
certainly not; by no means; in no case
Also: well I never! surely not!
Origin of never
1usage For never
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with never
In addition to the idioms beginning with never
- never a dull moment
- never fear
- never give a sucker an even break
- never had it so good, one
- never hear the end of
- never mind
- never miss a trick
- never put off until tomorrow
- never say die
- never say never
also see:
- better late than never
- it never rains but it pours
- lightning never strikes twice
- now or never
- watched pot never boils
- wonders will never cease
- you never can tell
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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