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

• ne'er

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

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has said this could drag Egypt into the war and facilitate a mass exodus of Gazans who may never be allowed to return. —Jane Arraf, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024

Decades after Osborn’s military service, the 68-year-old veteran, who never served in Vietnam, has battled one health crisis after another: a spot on his left lung and kidney, hypothyroidism and prostate cancer, an illness tied to Agent Orange exposure. —Hannah Norman and Patricia Kime, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024

Gaza reveals that the problem was never Hamas to begin with. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024

TikTok has repeatedly claimed the Chinese government has never made demands to access the app’s user data. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024

As offices continue to negotiate a complex set of hybrid, remote, and in-person arrangements, the ability to communicate with colleagues and understand their best ways of working has never been more important. —Martha Boudreau, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024

King James had never lost 10 straight to any NBA franchise before this series. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2024

This means that nearly every breed of purebred dog has chronic health problems that never get fixed. —Tommy Tomlinson, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024

In the second half, a better opponent than Louisville (0-0-4) — which has never finished higher than ninth — might have availed itself of the Wave’s loose play and won the match. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024

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-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

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