everadverb
uk/ˈev.ər/us/ˈev.ɚ/ever adverb (AT ANY TIME)
A2 at any time:
Nothing ever happens here in the evening.
Have you ever been to London?
If you're ever/If ever you're in Rio, do give me a call.
He hardly ever (= almost never) washes the dishes and he rarely, if ever, (= probably never) does any cleaning.
When there's a James Bond movie on TV, I never ever miss it.
If ever there was a cause for celebration, this peace treaty was it.
The smell is worse than ever.
I thought she was famous, but none of my friends have ever heard of her.
better, bigger, more, etc. than ever
C1 better, bigger, etc. than at any time before:
We are spending more than ever on education.
as big, fast, good, etc. as ever
as big, fast, etc. as at any time before:
The restaurants are as good as ever and no more expensive.
More examples
- The relative cheapness of foreign travel means that more people are going abroad than ever before.
- If you're ever in Perth, come and visit us.
- Blue whales are the largest creatures ever to have lived.
- She declared (that) it was the best chocolate cake she had ever tasted.
- I went to Paris last summer. Have you ever been there?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Always & never
- again
- all along idiom
- all-time
- along
- always
- first
- hell
- in all my (born) days idiom
- in/through all the years idiom
- invariably
- kingdom
- month
- perpetual
- perpetually
- till/until kingdom come idiom
- till/until the cows come home idiom
- time
- when hell freezes over idiom
- will
- world
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Linguistics: intensifying expressions
Similar and the same
ever adverb (ALWAYS)
C2 continuously:
United's record in cup competitions grows ever more impressive.
The ever-increasing demand for private cars could be halted by more investment in public transport.
Nuclear devastation was an ever-present threat.
Susan and Guy moved to the country, where they lived happily ever after.
ever since
B1 continuously since that time:
He's been depressed ever since he got divorced.
as ever
in the same way as always:
As ever, I was the last to find out.
yours ever also ever yours UK formal
used at the end of a letter as a way of saying goodbye to someone you know well:
Yours ever, Yvonne.
More examples
- They have been deadly enemies ever since Mark stole Greg's girlfriend.
- She's been in and out of hospitals ever since the accident.
- The outlook for the region's economy is looking every better.
- There are ever-growing tensions between the two countries.
- The company's ever-falling profits this year are making its shareholders nervous.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Always & never
- again
- all along idiom
- all-time
- along
- always
- first
- hell
- in all my (born) days idiom
- in/through all the years idiom
- invariably
- kingdom
- month
- perpetual
- perpetually
- till/until kingdom come idiom
- till/until the cows come home idiom
- time
- when hell freezes over idiom
- will
- world
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Starting from a particular time
Habitual and customary
Written greetings
ever adverb (EMPHASIS)
used for emphasizing an adjective:
The orchestra is to perform its last ever concert/last concert ever tomorrow night at the Albert Hall.
Yesterday the company announced its first ever fall in profits.
Was she ever a fast runner! (= She was a very fast runner!)
"Are you looking forward to your vacation?" "Am I ever!" (= Yes, very much!)
in questions, used to emphasize the question word:
How ever did he manage that?
What ever have you done to him?
Why ever would anyone/Why would anyone ever want to hurt her?
ever so/ever such a B2 UK informal
very/a very:
She's ever so pretty.
She's ever such a pretty girl.
More examples
- That was your best performance ever - congratulations!
- The company has had one of its best years ever.
- This is one of the worst natural disasters ever to befall the area.
- Hurricane Hugo will go down in the record books as the costliest storm ever faced by insurers.
- Don't you think that was the funniest movie ever?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: very & extreme
- abject
- awful
- badly
- beyond
- classic
- classical
- devastating
- drop dead! idiom
- eminently
- esp
- especially
- heartily
- impossibly
- rather
- sheer
- specially
- supremely
- thoroughly
- whole
- wide
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Idiom(s)
if ever there was one