ever after old-fashioned : from that time forward ▪ She remembered him fondly ever after. ◊Fairy tales sometimes end by saying that the characters in the story lived happily ever after. ▪ The prince saved the queen and they all lived happily ever after. The phrase live happily ever after is also used to describe real people who are being compared in some way to characters in a fairy tale. ▪ His biography tells the story of a poor boy who grew up to be a millionaire and lived happily ever after. ever and anon old-fashioned + literary : at different times : now and then ▪ Ever and anon [=every so often] there came the sound of bells. ever since 1 : continually or often from a past time until now ▪ We both liked the idea and have been working on it ever since. [=since then] ▪ I went to the festival its first year and have been returning ever since. 2 : continually from the time in the past when : SINCE ▪ She's wanted to be a firefighter ever since she was a young girl. ever so informal : VERY ▪ Thank you ever so much. ▪ I'm ever so glad that you got better. ▪ The violin was ever so slightly out of tune. ever such chiefly Brit informal —used as a more forceful way to say “such” ▪ He's ever such a nice person! [=he's a very nice person] for ever (and ever) : FOREVER ▪ I'll love you for ever and ever! hardly/scarcely ever : almost never : RARELY ▪ She hardly ever sings anymore. ▪ I scarcely ever think of them now. never ever informal —used especially in speech as a more forceful way to say “never” ▪ He never ever wanted to grow up. ▪ I promise to never ever do it again. rarely/seldom ever : almost never : RARELY ▪ We seldom ever dine out these days. ▪ She rarely ever drinks wine. ◊Some people regard rarely ever and seldom ever as incorrect, but these phrase are common in speech and in informal writing. rarely/seldom if ever —used as a more forceful way to say “rarely” or “seldom” ▪ I have seldom if ever been so embarrassed. ◊Rarely if ever and seldom if ever can be written both with or without commas ▪ Such radical opinions have rarely, if ever, been heard here before. ▪ She rarely if ever sings anymore. Yours ever or Ever yours Brit —used as a way to end an informal letter ▪ Yours ever, Robert

ev•er Pronounced: /ˈɛvɚ/ Function: adverb Meaning: 1 : at any time ▪ 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. ▪ We need your help now more than ever (before). ▪ Has this ever been done before? ▪ That was my best vacation ever. [=the best vacation I have ever had] ▪ Did it ever occur to you that I might like more myself? ▪ He's a born politician if ever I saw one. [=he is certainly a born politician] ▪ That was the worst movie I ever saw. ▪ I don't ever want to do that again. = (informal) I don't want to ever do that again. = I don't want to do that again, ever! 2 formal : at all times ▪ He is ever [=always] faithful. ▪ moving ever westward ▪ a guard who is ever watchful = an ever-watchful guard 3 : to a greater degree ▪ Technology in recent years has become ever more sophisticated. ▪ The deadline draws ever closer. ▪ Millions of farmers were forced into ever-deeper debt during the Great Depression. 4 —used after words like where, who, how, and why to make a question more forceful ▪ How ever can I (possibly) thank you? ▪ What ever happened to my former classmates? ▪ Where ever did I put my keys? ▪ “I can't do that.” “Why ever not?” ▪ Who ever would want to go there? —also used in indirect questions ▪ I can't imagine who ever would want to go there! 5 US informal —used to give stress to what follows ▪ Wow, was he ever funny! [=he was very funny] ▪ Am I ever embarrassed! [=I am very embarrassed] as ever : as has always been true : as usual ▪ The problem, as ever, is to find a better way to control spending.