Definition of never in English:

adverb

• 1At no time in the past or future; not ever.

  ‘they had never been camping in their lives’

  ‘I will never ever forget it’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Throughout all this he never ever showed any remorse or any emotion for what he had done.’
  • ‘She leapt out of bed and made him swear never ever to say anything like that again or it would put her off.’
  • ‘We should not be so foolish as to believe these things will never return in the future.’
  • ‘Nothing like this has ever happened in the area before and probably never will again.’
  • ‘She could never have such faith in the future, and that is why she chose not to have children.’
  • ‘Flora also talks of her hopes for the future and how she feels about the father she has never met.’
  • ‘I used to drive past it all the time in a previous job but never went into the grounds.’
  • ‘He had never been late for training and if he was ever running late he would ring to let us know.’
  • ‘He said he'd never had any experience with this and no one had ever raised this before.’
  • ‘There was never a shortage in the past and it's too early to blame the lack of kids out playing.’
  • ‘All very spooky and enough to make you never want to go near some parts of the Park ever again.’
  • ‘William had been on their minds ever since he left but he was never a topic between them.’
  • ‘I've taken a lot of trips but never something that's taken so much to get to one place.’
  • ‘My visits to the cinema never stretch beyond the odd foray to the Glasgow film theatre.’
  • ‘It was a decade of my life that I will always hold dear to my heart and a time that will never be forgotten.’
  • ‘According to them we never think about money and don't even know what an overdraft is.’
  • ‘He had never told his parents and only many years later told relatives what happened.’
  • ‘Luke lives with his parents and grandparents on a farm that has never been painted.’
  • ‘By the time four days had elapsed I just thought that was it and I would never see it again.’
  • ‘She said she has never heard of a single errant cyclist being brought to book in Kingston.’

  Synonyms

  at no time, not at any time, not ever, not once, on no occasion

  View synonyms

• 2Not at all.

  ‘he never turned up’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The Prime Minister has never been one to let a past friendship get in the way of making a new ally.’
  • ‘His putt never troubles the hole and it slips a few feet past for another difficult putt.’
  • ‘He certainly would never have got permission for a hotel, or even a six bedroom house.’
  • ‘Though never a love match, by then her affection had grown for the man two years her senior.’

  Synonyms

  not at all, certainly not, not for a moment, not in any circumstances, not under any circumstances, in no circumstances, under no circumstances, on no account

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  1. 2.1British informal as exclamation (expressing surprise) surely not.
     ‘What, you, Annabel? Never!’
     More example sentences

     • ‘What me? Never!’