ever

• euer (obsolete)
• e'er, ev'r (poetic)
• eva, evah, eva', evuh, iver, ivver (dialectal)

From Middle English ever, from Old English ǣfre, originally a phrase whose first element undoubtedly consists of Old English ā (“ever, always”) + in (“in”) + an element possibly from feorh (“life, existence”) (dative fēore). Compare Old English ā tō fēore (“ever in life”), Old English feorhlīf (“life”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛvə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɛvɚ/

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• Audio (UK)

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• Rhymes: -ɛvə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: ev‧er

ever (not comparable)

1. Always, frequently, forever.

   It was ever thus.

   • 1592, George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, An Advertisement […] concerning Seminary Priests:

     […] the Lord Treasurer, who ever secretly feigned himself to be a Moderator and Mollifier of the Catholicks Afflictions […]

   • 1860, Florence Nightingale, Suggestions for Thought to the searchers after truth among the artizans of England., page 302:

     Let us ever remember that our conception, our comprehension, our feeling of God must be ever imperfect, yet should be ever advancing. We must not make God: we must find Him and feel Him more and more.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     “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.

   • 1993, Nancy K. Florida, Javanese Literature in Surakarta Manuscripts: Introduction and manuscripts of the Karaton Surakarta, SEAP Publications, →ISBN, page 9:

     The library staffs of the Karaton Surakarta's Sasana Pustaka, the Mangku- nagaran's Reksa Pustaka, and the Museum Radyapustaka were ever helpful and generous with their time.

   • 2007, Roman Frydman, Michael D. Goldberg, Imperfect Knowledge Economics: Exchange Rates and Risk, Princeton University Press, →ISBN:

     As with the rest of macroeconomics, the issues have to be rethought in a way that makes the ever-imperfect knowledge of market participants and policymakers an integral part of the analysis.

   • 2021 September 8, Phil McNulty, “Poland 1-1 England”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Kane picked up the ball 25 yards out with 18 minutes left before proving he is ever the opportunist by flashing a dipping swerving drive beyond the deceived Szczesny.

2. Continuously, constantly, all the time (for the complete duration).

   People struggled to cope with the ever-increasing cost of living.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 4, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 29:

     For what seemed ages piled on ages, I lay there, frozen with the most awful fears, not daring to drag away my hand; yet ever thinking that if I could but stir it one single inch, the horrid spell would be broken.

3. At any time.

   If that ever happens, we’re in deep trouble.

   This is one of the best movies ever.

   He's back and better than ever.

   We've only ever talked on the phone.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter III, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     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.

   • 2019 February 3, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America‎, archived from the original on 7 February 2019:

     He said the study provides clear evidence that AI technologies are growing at a faster rate than ever and will continue to do so.

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4. (informal) As intensifier following an interrogative word.

   Was I ever glad to see you!

   Did I ever!

• (always): See Thesaurus:forever
• (at any time):
• (in any way):
• (intensifier): See Thesaurus:the dickens

• (antonym(s) of “always”): See Thesaurus:never

• → German: ever

ever (not comparable)

1. (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.

ever

1. (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:

     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.

• “ever”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• Vere, veer

From Middle Dutch ēver, from Old Dutch *evur, from Proto-West Germanic *ebur. Cognate with Latin aper, Proto-Slavic *veprь (“wild boar”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈeː.vər/

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• Hyphenation: ever
• Rhymes: -eːvər

ever m (plural evers, diminutive evertje n)

1. wild boar, Sus scrofa

• everzwijn, wild zwijn

• everjong
• everzwijn

• erve, veer, vere, vree

Borrowed from English ever.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛvɐ/

ever

1. (colloquial, originally youth slang) ever (with superlative)

   Synonym: aller Zeiten

   Das war das geilste Konzert ever.

   That was the greatest concert ever.

   • 2023 December 28, Florian Bayer, “Größte Pleite ever in Österreich”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz‎, →ISSN:

     Signa-Immobiliengesellschaften insolvent: Größte Pleite ever in Österreich [title]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• “ever” in Duden online

• evre, evir, afre (Early Middle English)

From Old English ǣfre.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛːvər/, /ˈɛvər/

ever

1. ever

• English: ever
• Scots: evire, evir
• Yola: eyver, e'er, ere

• “ē̆ver, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

ever

1. present of eve

• ever, reve, veer

• evor (non-standard since 2012)

ever f

1. indefinite plural of eve
2. indefinite plural of eva (non-standard since 2012)

• erve, ever, reve, vere