ever

adverb

ev·​er ˈe-vər How to pronounce ever (audio)
1
: always
ever striving to improve
the ever-increasing population
2
a
: at any time
more than ever before
b
: in any way
how can I ever thank you
3
used as an intensive
looks ever so angry
am I ever happy to see you
Phrases
ever and anon
: from time to time : occasionally

Examples of ever in a Sentence

The crime rate is higher now than it has ever been. He's forgotten all he's ever learned about history. Have you ever been to France? She's doing fine and is as pretty as ever. No one has ever seen a better example of woodwork. Has this ever been done before? Did it ever occur to you that I might like more myself? That was the worst movie I ever saw. Technology in recent years has become ever more sophisticated. The deadline draws ever closer.
Recent Examples on the Web And that’s the year, with simply less content than before and reportedly no Destiny 3 in the works at all, when all anyone ever says is that Destiny 3 would be the only thing to get them re-engaged with the game. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024 Judy Robles happens to be the only one the A-lister has ever Zoomed with. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2024 But audiences, the last answer to your question, by the way, is that audiences are ever more demanding. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024 Nixon puts his stamp on the era For more than 60 years, Richard Nixon’s performance in the first debate ever televised between presidential nominees has been held up as an example of campaign error. Ron Elving, NPR, 7 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ever 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ever.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English ǣfre

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ever was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ever

Cite this Entry

“Ever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ever. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

ever

adverb
ev·​er ˈev-ər How to pronounce ever (audio)
1
: at all times : always
ever faithful
2
a
: at any time
has this ever been done before
b
: in any way : at all
how can I ever thank you
3
used especially with so to give more force to a word
thank you ever so much

More from Merriam-Webster on ever

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