never

[ nev-er ]
/ ˈnɛv ər /

adverb

not ever; at no time: Such an idea never occurred to me.
not at all; absolutely not: never mind; This will never do.
to no extent or degree: He was never the wiser for his experience.

Idioms for never

    never mind, don't bother; don't concern yourself.

Origin of never

before 900; Middle English; Old English nǣfre, equivalent to ne not + ǣfre ever

Example sentences from the Web for never

British Dictionary definitions for never

never
/ (ˈnɛvə) /

adverb, sentence substitute

at no time; not ever
certainly not; by no means; in no case

interjection

Also: well I never! surely not!

Word Origin for never

Old English nǣfre, from ne not + æfre ever

usage for never

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

Idioms and Phrases with never

never