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View synonyms for

never

[ nev-er ]

adverb

  1. not ever; at no time:

    Such an idea never occurred to me.

  2. not at all; absolutely not:

    never mind;

    This will never do.

  3. to no extent or degree:

    He was never the wiser for his experience.



never

/ ˈɛə /

adverb

  1. at no time; not ever
  2. certainly not; by no means; in no case
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interjection

  1. Alsowell I never! surely not!
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of never1

First recorded before 900; from Middle English, from Old English ǣڰ, equivalent to ne “not” + ǣڰ ever ( def ); neither ( def ), nought ( def )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of never1

Old English ǣڰ, from ne not + æڰ ever
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. never mind, don't bother; don't concern yourself.
  2. never cease to amaze. never cease to amaze.

More idioms and phrases containing never

  • better late than never
  • it never rains but it pours
  • lightning never strikes twice
  • now or never
  • watched pot never boils
  • wonders will never cease
  • you never can tell
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“ initially presented itself mostly as loss began to open doors … and make possible many things that might have never happened otherwise. I really hope that might be the case for some of you.”

From

The Dodgers never drummed up run support for their ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, succumbing to a shutout for the second time and falling into a three-game losing streak for the first time since last August.

From

The true homeowners have resided there since 2007 and said they have never rented out the property, according to authorities.

From

"In truth, the government never incurred those costs and could never reach that ceiling amount. The real, documentable savings from early termination were approximately $153 million", they estimated.

From

Ossai met his British wife in Kenya and married her in Nigeria in 2017 – but he had never been to the UK.

From

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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.

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Nevelsonnever a dull moment