Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Ever
Ev′er
adv.
[Sometimes contracted into
e’er
.] 1.
At any time; at any period or point of time.
No man
ever
yet hated his own flesh. Eph. v. 29.
2.
At all times; through all time; always; forever.
He shall
The subject of by scorn and cruelty.
ever
love, and always beThe subject of by scorn and cruelty.
Dryder.
3.
Without cessation; continually.
☞ Ever is sometimes used as an intensive or a word of enforcement. “His the old man e'er a son?”
Shak.
To produce as much as
ever
they can. M. Arnold.
Ever and anon
, now and then; often. See under
– Anon
. Ever is one
, continually; constantly.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
– Ever so
, in whatever degree; to whatever extent; – used to intensify indefinitely the meaning of the associated adjective or adverb. See
“Let him be ever so rich.” Never so
, under Never
. Emerson.
And all the question (wrangle
Is only this, if God has placed him wrong.
– e'er so
long),Is only this, if God has placed him wrong.
Pope.
For ever
, eternally. See
– Forever
. For ever and a day
, emphatically forever.
Shak.
– Or ever
(for or ere),
[Archaic]
Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
Or ever
I had seen that day, Horatio! Shakespeare
☞ Ever is sometimes joined to its adjective by a hyphen, but in most cases the hyphen is needless; as, ever memorable, ever watchful, ever burning.
Webster 1828 Edition
Ever
EV'ER
,adv.
No man ever yet hated his own flesh. Eph.5.
1.
At all times; always; continually.He shall ever love, and always be
The subject of my scorn and cruelty.
He will ever by mindful of his covenant. Ps.111.
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim.3.
2.
Forever, eternally; to perpetuity; during everlasting continuance.This is my name forever. Ex.3.
In a more lax sense, this word signifies continually, for an indefinite period.
His master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. Ex.21.
These words are sometimes repeated, for the sake of emphasis; forever and ever, or forever and forever.
3.
Ever and anon, at one time and another; now and then.4.
In any degree. No man is ever the richer or happier for injustice.Let no man fear that creature ever the less, because he sees the apostle safe from his poison.
In modern usage, this word is used for never, but very improperly.
And all the question, wrangle e'er so long,
Is only this, if God has placed him wrong.
This ought to be, ne'er so long, as the phrase is always used in the Anglo-Saxon, and in our version of the scriptures, that is, so long as never, so long as never before, to any length of time indefinitely. As me never so much dowry. Charmers, charming never so wisely. These are the genuine English phrases. Let them charm so wisely as never before.
5.
A word of enforcement or emphasis; thus, as soon as ever he had done it; as like him as ever he can look.They broke all their bones in pieces or ever they came to the bottom of the den. Dan.6.
The latter phrase is however anomalous; or-ever being equivalent to before, and or may be a mistake for ere.
7.
In poetry, and sometimes in prose, ever is contracted into e'er.Ever in composition signifies always or continually, without intermission, or to eternity.
Definition 2024
ever
ever
English
Alternative forms
Adverb
ever (not comparable)
- Always.
- It was ever thus.
- 1907, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “chapter IX”, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 4241346:
- “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; […]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.
- At any time.
- If that ever happens, we’re in deep trouble. He's back and better than ever.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 3, in The Celebrity:
- Now all this was very fine, but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.
- In any way.
- How can I ever get there in time?
- (informal) As intensifier.
- Was I ever glad to see you! Did I ever! After that experience, I will never ever do it again!
Antonyms
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Terms derived from ever
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Related terms
Related terms
Translations
always
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at any time
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Adjective
ever (not comparable)
- (epidemiology) Occurring at any time, occurring even but once during a timespan.
- 1965, Reuben Hill, The family and population control: a Puerto Rican experiment in social change
- This family empathy measure is highly related to ever use of birth control but not to any measure of continuous use.
- 1965, Reuben Hill, The family and population control: a Puerto Rican experiment in social change
Determiner
ever
- (dialectal and informal) Shortening of every
- 1989, Connie Jordan Green, The War at Home, page 16:
- "Ever place you look there's houses and more houses."
- 2011, Lee Smith, Oral History (ISBN 1101565616)
- Queen Anne's lace ever place you look.
- 2011, Michael Blair, Nub and Bow in History, page 27:
- A sign at the entrance to the road going up Snake Hollow reads, “Snake Hollow is a wonderful place to be, Ever place you look there is a beautiful green tree. Snake Hollow makes you feel alive and free.” Lets keep it that way, for you and me.
- 1989, Connie Jordan Green, The War at Home, page 16: