never
Americanadverb
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not ever; at no time.
Such an idea never occurred to me.
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not at all; absolutely not.
never mind;
This will never do.
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to no extent or degree.
He was never the wiser for his experience.
idioms
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never cease to amaze. never cease to amaze.
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never mind, don't bother; don't concern yourself.
adverb
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at no time; not ever
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certainly not; by no means; in no case
interjection
Usage
In informal speech and writing, never can be used instead of not with the simple past tenses of certain verbs for emphasis ( I never said that; I never realized how clever he was ), but this usage should be avoided in serious writing
Etymology
Origin of never
First recorded before 900; from Middle English, from Old English nǣfre, equivalent to ne “not” + ǣfre ever ( def. ); neither ( def. ), nought ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some said they were pleasantly surprised that their U.S.-born adult children, who had never set foot in Iran, seemed as elated by the news as they were.
From Los Angeles Times
He returned the final week of August, and never looked quite right.
From Los Angeles Times
With such a hideous start to the campaign, getting back in the hunt must feel like the second chance they thought they'd never have.
From BBC
Young Iranians have never experienced life without him in charge.
From BBC
"We probably never gave Newcastle a chance to enjoy their moment and get themselves back into the game," Moyes said.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
