never
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Related to never: Never Say Never
nev·er
(nĕv′ər)adv.
Idiom: 1. Not ever; on no occasion; at no time: He had never been there before. You never can be sure.
2. Not at all; in no way; absolutely not: Never fear. That will never do.
never mind
1. Don't bother: I was hoping for some help, but never mind, I'll do it alone.
2. Not to mention; and certainly not: I can't tread water, never mind swim.
[Middle English, from Old English nǣfre : ne, not; see ne in Indo-European roots + ǣfre, ever; see aiw- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
never
(ˈnɛvə)adv, sentence substitute
1. at no time; not ever
2. certainly not; by no means; in no case
interj
Also: well I never! surely not!
[Old English nǣfre, from ne not + æfre ever]
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
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
nev•er
(ˈnɛv ər)adv.
1. not ever: It never happened.
2. not at all; absolutely not: This will never do.
3. to no extent or degree: He was never the wiser.
Idioms: never mind, don't bother; don't concern yourself.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English nǣfre=ne not + ǣfre ever]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
never
1. uses
You use never to say that something did not, does not, or will not happen at any time.
She never asked him to lend her any money.
I will never give up.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'do' in front of never. Don't say, for example, 'He does never write to me'. Say 'He never writes to me'.
He never complains.
He never speaks to you, does he?
Be Careful!
You don't usually use another negative word with 'never'. Don't say, for example, 'I haven't never been there' or 'They never said nothing'. Say 'I have never been there' or 'They never said anything'.
It was an experience I will never forget.
I've never seen anything like it.
Be Careful!
Similarly, don't use 'never' if the subject of a clause is a negative word such as nothing or no one. Instead use ever. You say, for example, 'Nothing will ever happen'. Don't say 'Nothing will never happen'.
Nothing ever changes.
No one will ever know.
2. position in clause
If you are not using an auxiliary verb or modal, you put never in front of the verb, unless the verb is be.
He never allowed himself to lose control.
They never take risks.
- If the verb is be, you usually put never after it.
The road by the river was never quiet.
- If you are using an auxiliary verb or modal, you put never after it.
I have never known a year quite like this.
My husband says he will never retire.
- If you are using more than one auxiliary verb or modal, you put never after the first one.
He said he had never been arrested.
The answer to this question might never be known.
- If you are using an auxiliary verb on its own, you put never in front of it.
I do not want to marry you. I never did. I never will.
- In stories, never is sometimes put first for emphasis, followed by an auxiliary verb and the subject of the clause.
Never had Dixon been so glad to see Margaret.
Never had two hours gone so slowly.
3. 'never' with an imperative
You can use never with an imperative instead of 'do not'. You do this when you want to emphasize that something should not be done at any time.
Never attempt to do this without a safety net.
Never use your credit card as personal identification.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adv. | 1. | never - not ever; at no time in the past or future; "I have never been to China"; "I shall never forget this day"; "had never seen a circus"; "never on Sunday"; "I will never marry you!" |
| 2. | never - not at all; certainly not; not in any circumstances; "never fear"; "bringing up children is never easy"; "that will never do"; "what is morally wrong can never be politically right" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
never
adverb
1. at no time, not once, not ever She was never really well after that.
at no time always, constantly, every time, forever, continually, aye (Scot.), perpetually, without exception, twenty-four-seven (informal)
at no time always, constantly, every time, forever, continually, aye (Scot.), perpetually, without exception, twenty-four-seven (informal)
2. under no circumstances, no way, not at all, on no account, not on your life (informal), not on your nelly (Brit. slang), not for love nor money (informal), not ever I would never do anything to hurt him.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
أبداًابداً
nikdy
aldrig
neniam
ei koskaanikinäkoskaan
nikada
sohasohasem
aldrei
･･･したことがない
결코 ...않다
numquam
nė kartoniekadaniekada daugiau
nekad
nicicândniciodată
nikoli
aldrig
ไม่เคย
asladünyadahiçbir zaman
không bao giờ
never
[ˈnevəʳ] ADV1. (= not ever) → nunca
"have you ever been to Argentina?" "no, never" → -¿has estado alguna vez en Argentina? -no, nunca
never leave valuables in your car → no dejen nunca objetos de valor en el coche
you never saw anything like it → nunca se ha visto nada parecido
I never believed him → nunca le creí
never! → ¡jamás!
never in all my life have I been so embarrassed → en mi vida or jamás en la vida he pasado tanta vergüenza
never again! → ¡nunca más!
scenes never before shown on TV → imágenes fpl nunca vistas con anterioridad en televisión
it had never been tried before → no se había intentado antes
never, ever do that again! → ¡no vuelvas a hacer eso nunca jamás!
it's a lesson he'll never, ever forget → es una lección que nunca jamás olvidará
I've never yet known him to fail → no lo he visto nunca fracasar
"have you ever been to Argentina?" "no, never" → -¿has estado alguna vez en Argentina? -no, nunca
never leave valuables in your car → no dejen nunca objetos de valor en el coche
you never saw anything like it → nunca se ha visto nada parecido
I never believed him → nunca le creí
never! → ¡jamás!
never in all my life have I been so embarrassed → en mi vida or jamás en la vida he pasado tanta vergüenza
never again! → ¡nunca más!
scenes never before shown on TV → imágenes fpl nunca vistas con anterioridad en televisión
it had never been tried before → no se había intentado antes
never, ever do that again! → ¡no vuelvas a hacer eso nunca jamás!
it's a lesson he'll never, ever forget → es una lección que nunca jamás olvidará
I've never yet known him to fail → no lo he visto nunca fracasar
2. (emphatic negative) never! → ¿en serio?, ¡no puede ser!
I had a free ticket but I never went → tenía una entrada gratis pero no llegué a ir
I never expected to see him again → no contaba con volverlo a ver
surely you never bought it? → ¿pero lo has comprado de verdad?
you never did! → ¿en serio?, ¡no puede ser!
never mind → no importa, no te preocupes
never a one → ni uno siquiera
well I never! → ¡no me digas!, ¡no me lo puedo creer!
never a word did he say → no dijo ni una sola palabra
I had a free ticket but I never went → tenía una entrada gratis pero no llegué a ir
I never expected to see him again → no contaba con volverlo a ver
surely you never bought it? → ¿pero lo has comprado de verdad?
you never did! → ¿en serio?, ¡no puede ser!
never mind → no importa, no te preocupes
never a one → ni uno siquiera
well I never! → ¡no me digas!, ¡no me lo puedo creer!
never a word did he say → no dijo ni una sola palabra
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
never
[ˈnɛvər] adv (gen) → jamais
Have you ever been to Germany? - No, never → Est-ce que tu es déjà allé en Allemagne? - Non, jamais.
When are you going to phone him? - Never! → Quand est-ce que tu vas l'appeler? - Jamais!
never again! → plus jamais ça!
never in my life → jamais de ma vie
Have you ever been to Germany? - No, never → Est-ce que tu es déjà allé en Allemagne? - Non, jamais.
When are you going to phone him? - Never! → Quand est-ce que tu vas l'appeler? - Jamais!
never again! → plus jamais ça!
never in my life → jamais de ma vie
(when used with a verb) → ne .... jamais
I never write letters → Je n'écris jamais de lettres.
I have never been camping → Je n'ai jamais fait de camping.
Never leave valuables in your car → Ne laissez jamais d'objets de valeur dans votre voiture.
Divorce is never easy for children → Le divorce n'est jamais facile pour les enfants.
I would never do anything to hurt him → Je ne ferais jamais rien qui puisse le blesser.
That was a mistake. We'll never do it again
BUT C'était une erreur. On ne nous y reprendra plus.
We never saw him again → Nous ne l'avons jamais revu.
... and that would never do (= would be a bad thing) → ... ce qui serait impensable
never mind → ça ne fait rien
never ever → jamais au grand jamais
You should never, ever, eat restaurant-made hollandaise → On ne devrait jamais au grand jamais manger de la sauce hollandaise au restaurant.
He's vowed never ever to talk about it
BUT Il a fait le vœu de ne plus jamais en parler.
I never write letters → Je n'écris jamais de lettres.
I have never been camping → Je n'ai jamais fait de camping.
Never leave valuables in your car → Ne laissez jamais d'objets de valeur dans votre voiture.
Divorce is never easy for children → Le divorce n'est jamais facile pour les enfants.
I would never do anything to hurt him → Je ne ferais jamais rien qui puisse le blesser.
That was a mistake. We'll never do it again
BUT C'était une erreur. On ne nous y reprendra plus.
We never saw him again → Nous ne l'avons jamais revu.
... and that would never do (= would be a bad thing) → ... ce qui serait impensable
never mind → ça ne fait rien
never ever → jamais au grand jamais
You should never, ever, eat restaurant-made hollandaise → On ne devrait jamais au grand jamais manger de la sauce hollandaise au restaurant.
He's vowed never ever to talk about it
BUT Il a fait le vœu de ne plus jamais en parler.
well I never! (= fancy that!) → ça par exemple !never-ending [ˌnɛvərˈɛndɪŋ] adj
[supply] → inépuisable; [stream] → interminable
a never-ending stream of customers → un interminable défilé de clients
to have a never-ending supply of sth → avoir des réserves inépuisables de qch
She seems to have a never-ending supply of energy and enthusiasm → Elle semble avoir d'inépuisables réserves d'énergie et d'enthousiasme.
a never-ending stream of customers → un interminable défilé de clients
to have a never-ending supply of sth → avoir des réserves inépuisables de qch
She seems to have a never-ending supply of energy and enthusiasm → Elle semble avoir d'inépuisables réserves d'énergie et d'enthousiasme.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
never
adv
(= not ever) → nie, niemals (geh); I never eat it → das esse ich nie; I have never seen him → ich habe ihn (noch) nie gesehen; never again → nie wieder; never do that again → mach das bloß nie wieder or nicht noch einmal; never say never → sag niemals nie; I’ll never try that again → das werde ich nie wieder or nicht noch einmal versuchen; never again will I see my own country → ich werde meine Heimat nie wiedersehen; never before → noch nie; I had never seen him before today → ich hatte ihn (vor heute) noch nie gesehen; never before have men climbed this peak → nie zuvor haben Menschen diesen Gipfel erklommen; never before had there been such a disaster → eine solche Katastrophe hatte es noch nie (zuvor) gegeben; never even → nicht einmal; never ever → absolut or garantiert nie; I have never ever been so insulted → ich bin noch nie so beleidigt worden; I have never yet been able to find … → ich habe … bisher noch nicht finden können; I never heard such a thing! → so etwas ist mir noch nie zu Ohren gekommen!
(emph: = not) that will never do! → das geht ganz und gar nicht!; I never slept a wink (inf) → ich habe kein Auge zugetan; he never so much as smiled → er hat nicht einmal gelächelt; he said never a word → er hat kein einziges Wort gesagt; you’ve never left it behind! (inf) → du hast es doch wohl nicht etwa liegen lassen! (inf); you’ve never done that! → hast du das wirklich gemacht?; would you do it again? — never! → würdest du das noch einmal machen? — bestimmt nicht; Spurs were beaten — never! (inf) → Spurs ist geschlagen worden — das ist doch nicht möglich! or nein! or nein wirklich? (iro); well I never (did)! (inf) → nein, so was!; never fear → keine Angst
never
:never-ending
adj → endlos, unaufhörlich; discussions, negotiations also → nicht enden wollend attr; it seemed never → es schien kein Ende nehmen zu wollen; a never job → eine Arbeit ohne Ende
never-failing
adj method etc → unfehlbar; source, spring etc → unversieglich
nevermore
never-never
n (Brit inf) on the never → auf Pump (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
never
[ˈnɛvəʳ] adva. → non... mai
they never go out → non escono mai
I have never read it → non l'ho mai letto
have you been to Rome? - never → è mai stato a Roma? - no, mai
never before had he been so bored → non si era mai annoiato tanto
she's never been here before → non è mai venuta qui prima
never again! → mai più!
I'll never go there again → non ci andrò mai più
never in my life → mai in vita mia
they never go out → non escono mai
I have never read it → non l'ho mai letto
have you been to Rome? - never → è mai stato a Roma? - no, mai
never before had he been so bored → non si era mai annoiato tanto
she's never been here before → non è mai venuta qui prima
never again! → mai più!
I'll never go there again → non ci andrò mai più
never in my life → mai in vita mia
b. (emphatic negative) I never slept a wink all night → non ho chiuso occhio per tutta la notte
he never so much as smiled → non ha nemmeno accennato un sorriso
I told the boss what I thought of him - never! or you never did! → ho detto al capo quel che pensavo di lui - no, non mi dire! or non ci credo!
well I never! → chi l'avrebbe (mai) detto!, ma guarda un po'!
never mind → non fa niente
he never so much as smiled → non ha nemmeno accennato un sorriso
I told the boss what I thought of him - never! or you never did! → ho detto al capo quel che pensavo di lui - no, non mi dire! or non ci credo!
well I never! → chi l'avrebbe (mai) detto!, ma guarda un po'!
never mind → non fa niente
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
never
(ˈnevə) adverb not ever; at no time. I shall never go there again; Never have I been so angry.
ˌneverˈmore adverb never again.
ˌnevertheˈless (-ðəˈles) adverb in spite of that. I am feeling ill, but I shall come with you nevertheless.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
never
→ أبداً nikdy aldrig nie ποτέ nunca ei koskaan jamais nikada mai ･･･したことがない 결코 ...않다 nooit aldri nigdy nunca никогда aldrig ไม่เคย asla không bao giờ 决不Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
never
adv. nunca, jamás;
___ fear → pierda cuidado;
___ mind → no importa.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
never
adv nuncaEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.