when ‧ ev ‧ er S2 W3 /wenˈevə $ -ˈevər/ BrE AmE adverb , conjunction
1 . every time that a particular thing happens:
Larry always blames me whenever anything goes wrong.
Whenever I hear that tune, it makes me think of you.
2 . at any time:
Come and visit me whenever you want.
a policy of using recycled paper whenever possible
3 . spoken used as a reply to say that it does not matter what time something happens:
‘I’ll call you tomorrow or the day after.’ ‘Okay. Whenever.’
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ when at or during the time that something happens:
Call me when you get home.
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When I got here, the place was empty.
▪ while during the time that something is happening – used to emphasize that something is continuing:
I’ll make the salad while you set the table.
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While we were on holiday, our house was burgled.
▪ whenever used in order to emphasize that something always happens when another thing happens:
He visits his mother whenever he can.
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You can come and talk to me whenever you have a problem.
▪ by the time used in order to say that one thing has or will have already happened when something else happens:
By the time a child is five, he will have watched hundreds of hours of television.