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 Has an artist 40 or older ever replaced another at No. 1 on the Hot 100 before this week? Gary Trust, Billboard, 22 Mar. 2024 Presbyterian won the program’s first ever NCAA tournament game over the Sacred Heart Pioneers to make it to the final 64 teams. Ben Church, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 Nonetheless, the record’s disparate strands mostly hold together, a formidable document of their fire and fury—and one that’s needed more than ever. Matthew Neale, SPIN, 22 Mar. 2024 While Chinese courts have begun handling significantly more intellectual property cases in recent years, most small- and medium-size knockoff dealers are unlikely to ever be caught. Louise Matsakis, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024 Whether or not Crystal ever gives hosting another shot, his past performances offer clues to what could make the next emcees great. Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2024 No one has ever looked back at war and thought a bombing campaign was a good idea. Jaden Thompson, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 Last year the case was resolved for $12 million in what is believed to be one of the largest civil settlements ever paid by the county. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Coming into the fight, there was lots of excitement surrounding Ngannou in what was just his second ever professional boxing bout. Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024

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 29 Mar. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!