forever

English

Alternative forms

• for ever

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /fəˈɹɛvə/, X-SAMPA: /f@r"Ev@/
• (US) IPA: /fəɹˈɛvɚ/, X-SAMPA: /f@r"Ev@`/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛvə(r)

Adverb

forever (not comparable)

1. (duration) for all time, for all eternity; for an infinite amount of time.

   I shall love you forever.

   • 1839, Denison Olmsted, A Compendium of Astronomy Page 95

     Secondly, When a body is once in motion it will continue to move forever, unless something stops it. When a ball is struck on the surface of the earth, the friction of the earth and the resistance of the air soon stop its motion.

2. (duration, colloquial) for a very long time, 'an' eternity.

   We had to wait forever to get inside.

3. (duration, colloquial) for an excessively long time.

   It took her forever to get dressed and ready for the party.

   The drive to his mothers' house took forever.

4. (frequency) constantly or frequently.

   You are forever nagging me.

   • 1912: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, Chapter 5

     Early in his boyhood he had learned to form ropes by twisting and tying long grasses together, and with these he was forever tripping Tublat or attempting to hang him from some overhanging branch.

Usage notes

• In the United Kingdom and most of the Commonwealth, for ever is the standard spelling for the infinite sense, whilst for ever and forever are both standard for senses 'a long time'. In Canada and the United States, generally only forever is used, regardless of sense.

Synonyms

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. Use the template {{sense|"gloss"}}, substituting a short version of the definition for "gloss".

• always
• continually
• eternally
• evermore
• for good
• forevermore
• for ever more
• incessantly
• until Kingdom come

Derived terms

• foreverness

Related terms

• everlasting
• every
• everyday
• never
• nevermore
• whatever
• whenever
• whoever

Translations

for all time, for all eternity; for an infinite amount of time

• Arabic: إلى الأبد (ar) ('ílaa al-'ábad)
• Armenian: ընդմիշտ (hy) (ëndmišt)
• Cherokee: ᎢᎪᎯᏛ (chr) (i-go-hi-dv), ᎢᎪᎯᏓᏊᎨᏒ (chr) (igohidaquugesv)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 永久 (cmn) (yǒngjiǔ), 永遠 (cmn), 永远 (cmn) (yǒngyuǎn)

• Czech: navždy (cs), na věky (cs)
• Dutch: eeuwig, (voor) altijd
• Finnish: ikuisesti (fi), ikiajoiksi (fi)
• French: à jamais (fr), toujours (fr), pour toujours (fr)
• Georgian: მუდამ (ka) (mudam), სამუდამოდ (ka) (samudamod)
• German: für immer (de), ewig (de), unaufhörlich (de), auf (de) immer (de), für eger (de)
• Hawaiian: mau loa
• Hebrew: לנצח (he) (lanétsaḥ)
• Hindi: हमेशा के लिए (hi) (hameśā ke li'e), कभी के लिए (hi) (kabhī ke li'e)
• Hungarian: örökre (hu), örökké (hu), mindörökké (hu)
• Irish: go bráth (ga), go deo (ga)
• Italian: per sempre (it)
• Japanese: 永久に (ja) (えいきゅうに, eikyū-ni), 永遠に (ja) (えいえんに, eien-ni)
• Khmer: រហូត (km) (rahoat)

• Korean: 영원히 (ko) (yeongwon-hi) (永遠 (ko) + 히 (ko))
• Latin: in perpetuum (la), in omne tempus (la), perpetuum (la)
• Navajo: hoolʼáágóó
• Persian: برای همیشه (fa) (barâ-ye hamiše)
• Polish: na zawsze (pl)
• Portuguese: para sempre (pt)
• Russian: вечно (ru) (véčno), всегда (ru) (vsegdá), навсегда (ru) (navsegdá), навеки (ru) (navéki), навечно (ru) (navéčno)
• Scottish Gaelic: gu bràth (gd)
• Serbo-Croatian: заувек (sh) (zaubek)
• Spanish: para siempre (es)
• Swahili: milele (sw)
• Swedish: för alltid (sv)
• Thai: ตลอดไป (th) (dtà-lòt-bpai), นิรันดร์ (th) (ní-ran)
• Tok Pisin: oltaim (tpi)
• Turkish: sonsuza kadar (tr), sonsuza dek (tr)
• Ukrainian: назавжди (uk) (nazávždy, nazavždý), навік (uk) (navík), вічно (uk) (víčno)
• Urdu: ہمیشہ کے لئے (ur) (hameśā ke li'e)
• Vietnamese: mãi mãi (vi), vĩnh viễn (vi) (永遠 (vi))
• West Frisian: ivich (fy)

(colloquially) for a very long time

• Dutch: een eeuwigheid, eeuwen, tijden pl
• Finnish: ikuisuuden (fi)
• German: ewig (de), für immer (de)

• Russian: целую вечность (ru) (céluju véčnost')
• Swahili: milele (sw)
• West Frisian: ivich (fy)

(colloquially) for an excessively long time

• Dutch: eeuwig (nl), eindeloos (nl)
• Finnish: ikuisuuden (fi)
• German: ewig (de), für immer (de)

• Russian: целую вечность (ru) (céluju véčnost')
• Spanish: por siempre (es)
• Swahili: milele (sw)

(colloquially) constantly or frequently

• Dutch: steed (nl), altijd (nl)
• Finnish: aina (fi)
• German: ewig (de), ständig (de), unaufhörlich (de), andauernd (de)
• Hungarian: örökké (hu)

• Polish: cały czas (pl) m
• Russian: вечно (ru) (véčno), постоянно (ru) (postojánno)
• Spanish: constantemente (es), sin cesar (es)
• Swahili: milele (sw)

Noun

forever (plural forevers)

1. An extremely long time.
   • 2001 September, Michael Knisley, “The Braves' last stand”, Sporting News, volume 225, number 36, page 12: 

     It's been a fortnight of forevers since the Braves could count on a late-game comeback.

   • 2007, Ruth O'Callaghan, Where acid has etched

     In the airport, holiday lovers kiss, mouth forevers, the usual argot betrays you. Desire makes love dull.

2. (colloquial) a mythical time in the infinite future that will never come.

   Sure, I'd be happy to meet with you on the 12th of forever.

Translations

extremeley long time

• Finnish: ikuisuus (fi)

mythical time in the infinite future

• Finnish: iäisyys (fi)
• Spanish: eternidad (es)

• Swahili: milele (sw)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: éternellement, toujours
• Hebrew: לעד (he) (la'ad), לנצח (he) (laneitzach)
• Japanese: ずっと (zutto); 永遠 (eien)
• Korean: 영원히 /jɜŋwənhiː/

• Nauruan: eko dokin
• Scottish Gaelic: gu bràth, gu sìorraidh, gu suthain, gu suthain sìorraidh, a-chaoidh
• Spanish: por siempre, para siempre
• Swedish: (för) alltid, (för) evigt