INDEX:
1. NEVER
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ ALWAYS
almost never : ↑ RARE/RARELY
see also
↑ NOT
↑ FORBID
↑ IMPOSSIBLE
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1. NEVER
▷ never /ˈnevəʳ/ [adverb]
not once, or not at any time :
▪ ‘Have you ever been to Paris?’ ‘No, never.’
▪ Ali had never seen snow before.
▪ The view was spectacular - I’ll never forget it.
▪ He walks right past me and never even says ‘hello’.
never do/say etc something
▪ used to tell someone not to do something Never go there alone at night.
never have I/did he etc
used for emphasis formal
▪ Never in my whole life have I felt so angry.
▷ not ever /nɒt ˈevəʳ/ [adverb]
not at any time :
▪ I haven’t ever had champagne before.
▪ Don’t ever do that again.
▪ ‘I won’t leave you,’ she said, ‘not ever.’
▷ never ever/never, never /ˌnevər ˈevəʳ, ˌnevəʳ ˈnevəʳ/ [adverb] spoken
say this when you want to emphasize strongly that something has never happened or will never happen :
▪ You must never ever tell anyone what you heard tonight.
▪ I’ll never, never stop loving you.
▷ never/not in a million years /ˌnevəʳ, nɒt ɪn ə ˌmɪljən ˈjɪəʳz/ [adverb] spoken informal
say this when you think it is completely impossible that something could ever happen :
▪ You won’t get Kieran to agree - not in a million years!
▷ not once /nɒt ˈwʌns/ [adverb]
say this when you are surprised or annoyed because someone never did something, although they often had the opportunity to do it :
▪ After all the help I’ve given her, she’s never said thank you - not once!
▪ My father hasn’t once come here to see us, even though he lives quite nearby.
not once have I/did they etc
used for emphasis formal
▪ Not once did she think of giving up, despite all the problems involved.
▷ never for a moment/not for a moment /ˌnevəʳ fər ə ˈməʊmənt, ˌnɒt fər ə ˈməʊmənt/ [adverb]
if you say you never for a moment thought something, you are emphasizing that this idea never came into your mind :
▪ I always knew that I would be famous one day. I never for a moment doubted it at all.
▪ ‘Did you ever suspect that he was cheating on you?’ ‘No, not for one moment.’
never for a moment have I/did they etc
used for emphasis formal
▪ Never for a moment did it enter my mind that something was wrong.
▷ at no time /ət ˌnəʊ ˈtaɪm/ [adverb] formal
never in the past :
at no time have I/did they etc
▪ At no time did anyone suggest that the drug was dangerous.
▪ Despite what I’d been told about the local people’s attitude to strangers, at no time did I encounter any rudeness.
▷ have never been known to do something /həv ˌnevəʳ biːn nəʊn tə ˈduː something ǁ-bɪn-/ [verb phrase]
you say that someone or something has never been known to do something when you mean that this has never happened before, so it is strange if it happens now :
▪ We were very worried -- Peter had never been known to disappear from home before.
▪ Killer whales have never been known to attack humans without the provocation of a bullet or harpoon.