Definition: ever

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Source: WordNet (r) 1.7

ever
     adv 1: at any time; "did you ever smoke?"; "the best con man of all
            time" [syn: of all time]
     2: at all times; all the time and on every occasion; "I will
        always be there to help you"; "always arrives on time";
        "there is always some pollution in the air"; "ever hoping
        to strike it rich"; "ever busy" [syn: always, e'er]
        [ant: never]
     3: (intensifier for adjectives) very; "she was ever so
        friendly" [syn: ever so]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Ever \Ev"er\adv. [OE. ever, [ae]fre, AS. [ae]fre; perh. akin to
   AS. [=a] always. Cf. Aye, Age,Evry, Never.]
   [Sometimes contracted into e'er.]
   1. At any time; at any period or point of time.

            No man ever yet hated his own flesh.  --Eph. v. 29.

   2. At all times; through all time; always; forever.

            He shall ever love, and always be The subject of by
            scorn and cruelty.                    --Dryder.

   3. Without cessation; continually.

   Note: Ever is sometimes used as an intensive or a word of
         enforcement. ``His the old man e'er a son?'' --Shak.

               To produce as much as ever they can. --M. Arnold.

   Ever and anon, now and then; often. See under Anon.

   Ever is one, continually; constantly. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

   Ever so, in whatever degree; to whatever extent; -- used to
      intensify indefinitely the meaning of the associated
      adjective or adverb. See Never so, under Never. ``Let
      him be ever so rich.'' --Emerson.

            And all the question (wrangle e'er so long), Is only
            this, if God has placed him wrong.    --Pope.

            You spend ever so much money in entertaining your
            equals and betters.                   --Thackeray.

   For ever, eternally. See Forever.

   For ever and a day, emphatically forever. --Shak.

            She [Fortune] soon wheeled away, with scornful
            laughter, out of sight for ever and day. --Prof.
                                                  Wilson.

   Or ever (for or ere), before. See Or, ere. [Archaic]

            Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven Or ever I
            had seen that day, Horatio!           --Shak.

   Note: Ever is sometimes joined to its adjective by a hyphen,
         but in most cases the hyphen is needless; as, ever
         memorable, ever watchful, ever burning.