ever
Ever is an adverb which you use to add emphasis in negative sentences, commands, questions, and conditional structures.
1 adv Ever means at any time. It is used in questions and negative statements.
ADV before v, ADV adv (Antonym: never)
I'm not sure I'll ever trust people again..., Neither of us had ever skied..., Have you ever experienced failure?..., I don't know if you ever read any of his books...
2 adv You use ever in expressions such as `did you ever' and `have you ever' to express surprise or shock at something you have just seen, heard, or experienced, especially when you expect people to agree with you.
in questions, ADV before v (emphasis)
Have you ever seen anything like it?..., Did you ever hear anyone sound so peculiar?
3 adv You use ever after comparatives and superlatives to emphasize the degree to which something is true or when you are comparing a present situation with the past or the future.
ADV after compar than, ADV after adj-superl (emphasis)
She's got a great voice and is singing better than ever..., Japan is wealthier and more powerful than ever before..., He feels better than he has ever felt before..., This is the most awful evening I can ever remember.
4 adv You use ever to say that something happens more all the time.
ADV adj/adv
They grew ever further apart...
5 adv You can use ever for emphasis after `never'.
INFORMAL ADV before v (emphasis)
I can never, ever, forgive myself...
6 adv You use ever in questions beginning with words such as `why', `when', and `who' when you want to emphasize your surprise or shock.
quest ADV (emphasis)
Why ever didn't you tell me?..., Who ever heard of a thing like that?
7 phrase If something has been the case ever since a particular time, it has been the case all the time from then until now.
He's been there ever since you left!..., Ever since we moved last year, I worry a lot about whether I can handle this new job...
Ever is also an adverb., adv ADV after v, ADV with cl
I simply gave in to him, and I've regretted it ever since...
8 adv You use ever in the expressions ever such and ever so to emphasize that someone or something has a particular quality, especially when you are expressing enthusiasm or gratitude.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL ADV such/so (emphasis)
When I met Derek he was ever such a good dancer..., I like him ever so much..., I'm ever so grateful...
10 You use the expression all someone ever does when you want to emphasize that they do the same thing all the time, and this annoys you.
all sb ever does phrase V inflects (emphasis)
All she ever does is whinge and complain...
11 You say as ever in order to indicate that something or someone's behaviour is not unusual because it is like that all the time or very often.
as ever phrase PHR with cl
As ever, the meals are primarily fish-based...
12 →
hardly ever →
hardly
ever-
You use ever in adjectives such as ever-increasing and ever-present, to show that something exists or continues all the time. comb in adj
...the ever-increasing traffic on our roads., ...an ever-changing world of medical information...
ever more , evermore
Ever more means for all the time in the future. adv ADV with v, oft for ADV
They will bitterly regret what they have done for ever more..., The editor's decision is final and shall evermore remain so.
first ever , first-ever
Something that is the first ever one of its kind has never happened before. adj usu ADJ n
It's the first-ever meeting between leaders of the two countries.
