never

adverb

nev·​er ˈne-vər 

1

: not ever : at no time

I never met her

2

: not in any degree : not under any condition

never the wiser for his experience

Synonyms of never

• not

Examples of never in a Sentence

I will never shop at that store again.

I have never seen that happen before.

That man has never heard of you.

We will never forget what we saw.

You never know what you'll find at a flea market.

I never meant to hurt you.

She never really said that.

There is never enough time to finish our work.

Never in my whole life have I been so offended!

I gave him my business for years and never for one moment did I suspect that he was a criminal.

Recent Examples on the Web

The aching reality of life for oppressed Black people is never explicitly referred to. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

This is a big jump for Fleury, who has never before worked as an offensive coordinator at any level of football, and most recently was the 49ers' tight ends coach for the past four seasons. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026

The idea was to disburse savings achieved by cuts enacted by the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency — then led by Musk — to the American population, but never materialized. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Having never been to Woodstock before the idea of the festival was first hatched, Blaustein, along with her then-husband, the late Laurent Rejto, created a film festival without any funds or fame. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English nǣfre, from ne not + ǣfre ever — more at no

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing never

• almost never
• a watched pot never boils
• it never fails
• it never rains but it pours
• lightning never strikes (the same place) twice
• never a dull moment
• never again
• never batted an eye
• never cease to amaze
• never dreamt
• never-ending
• never ever
• never fear
• never for one moment
• never had it so good
• never in someone's life
• never looked back
• never mind
• never more so
• never-never land
• never/not dream of
• never/not hear the end of it
• never/not in a thousand/million/billion years
• never/not miss a trick
• never say die
• never say never
• never so much as
• never the twain shall meet
• never the wiser
• never to return
• never you mind
• well, I never
• will never do
• Will wonders never cease
• wonders never cease
• would never dream of
• you'll never know
• you never know

Rhymes for never

• bever
• clever
• ever
• haver
• lever
• rever
• sever
• cantilever
• howsoever
• whatsoever
• whensoever
• wheresoever

Kids Definition

never

adverb

nev·​er ˈnev-ər 

1

: not ever : at no time

I never saw it before

never had a sick day in my life

2

: not to any extent or in any way

never fear