ever

ev|er

W1S1 [ˈevə US ˈevər] adv

[: Old English; Origin: Afre]

1.) a word meaning at any time; used mostly in questions, negatives, comparisons, or sentences with 'if'

▪ Nothing ever seems to upset him.

▪ Have you ever been to Paris?

▪ I don't think I've ever been here before.

▪ If you're ever in Seattle, come and see me.

2.) formal always

▪ Ever optimistic, I decided to take the exam again.

3.) hardly ever

not very often

▪ We hardly ever go out.

4.) never ever

spoken never

▪ You never ever offer to help!

5.) for ever

for all time

▪ Nothing lasts for ever.

6.) as ever

as always happens

▪ As ever, Joe was late.

7.) ever since

continuously since

▪ My back has been bad ever since I fell and hurt it two years ago.

8.) ever after

for all time after something

▪ I suppose they'll get married and live happily ever after.

9.) hotter/colder/better etc than ever

even hotter etc than before

▪ Last night's show was better than ever.

10.) as friendly/cheerful/miserable etc as ever

as friendly etc as someone or something usually is

▪ George was as miserable as ever.

▪ The food was as bad as ever!

11.) ever so cold/wet/nice etc

BrE spoken very cold, wet etc

▪ The assistant was ever so helpful.

▪ Thanks ever so much.

12.) ever such a

BrE used to emphasize what someone or something is like

▪ You'll like her, she's ever such a nice girl.

13.) ever-increasing/ever-present etc

increasing, present etc all the time

▪ the ever-increasing problem of drugs in the inner cities

14.) Yours ever/Ever yours informal

used at the end of a letter above the signature

15.) if ever there was one informal

used to say that someone or something is a typical example of something

▪ He's a natural comedian if ever there was one.