ever */*/*/

UK [ˈevə(r)] / US [ˈevər] adverb

1) at any time

a) [usually in negatives or questions] at any time in the past, present, or future

If you ever need any help, just let me know.

Was Desmond ever in the army?

have you ever done something?:

Have you ever been to Cape Town?

hardly ever (= almost never):

It hardly ever rains here in the summer.

rarely/seldom, if ever (= rarely and probably never):

The method seldom, if ever, fails.

b) used for emphasizing that something has never happened before or should never happen

Don't ever do that again.

It was the only serious question he had ever asked me.

never ever:

We must never ever forget how those brave men fought for our freedom.

first/last/only ... ever:

Trevor Boulton is celebrating his first victory ever in the tournament.

c) used for emphasis when making comparisons with the past

more/bigger/better etc than ever:

Isabel's looking lovelier than ever.

the most/biggest/best etc ever:

Thailand's largest ever trade fair

2) all the time used before a comparative adjective or adverb for showing that something is growing or developing all the time

The tax laws grow ever more complex.

Our aim is an ever closer union of nation states.

•

all someone ever does/wants/gets etc — spoken used for emphasizing that the same thing happens all the time, especially when this is annoying

All he ever does is complain.

A load of grief – that's all I ever get.

do/is/can etc someone ever — mainly American

spoken used for emphasizing that someone does something or has a particular quality

Mad? Was he ever!

ever so/ever such (a) — British

spoken used before an adjective or adverb to mean "very"

It was ever so kind of you to invite us.

They're ever such nice people.

She's ever such a good dancer.

Usage note:
ever such a is used before an adjective and a singular countable noun.
ever such is used before an adjective and a plural countable noun or an uncountable noun.
ever so is used after a verb and before an adverb or adjective without a following noun.

if ever there was one/something — used for emphasizing that someone or something is definitely what you say they are

Now there's a challenge, if ever there was one.

He realized that if ever there was a time for action, this was it.

who/why/what etc ever? — used for emphasizing a question, especially when you are surprised or upset

What ever gave you that idea?

Usage note:
what ever, who ever etc can also be written as single words: whatever, whoever, whenever, and wherever.

- as ever

- ever since

- for ever

See:

forever, happily