never

adverb

nev·​er ˈne-vər How to pronounce never (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jayden Daniels’ fairytale 52-yard Hail Mary pass to Noah Brown may have never happened had Stevenson resisted the urge to engage with the crowd both before the final snap and then, stunningly, for several seconds after the play began. Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025 Even down 14-0, the Jaguars never quit. Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025 That’s an awful lot of features to fit into a trailer of this sizes, but an electric pop-top roof helps insure you and your travel buddy never feel cramped. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 6 Oct. 2025 Without Twenty20 cricket, the game might never have broken into new markets. Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for never

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of never was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Never.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/never. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

never

adverb
nev·​er ˈnev-ər How to pronounce never (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on never

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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