forever
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See also: for ever
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English for ever, for evere, equivalent to for + ever.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fəˈɹɛvə(ɹ)/
- (General American) IPA(key): /fəˈɹɛvɚ/, [fəˈɹɛvɚ], [fɚˈɛvɚ], [fɔɹˈɛvɚ]
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛvə(ɹ)
Adverb[edit]
forever (not comparable)
- (duration) For all time, for all eternity; for a lifetime; 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.
- (duration, colloquial, hyperbolic) For a very long time, a seeming eternity.
- 1988, Anne Tyler, Breathing Lessons, Chapter 1
- She and Serena had been friends forever. Or nearly forever: forty-two years, beginning with Miss Kimmel's first grade.
- We had to wait forever to get inside.
- That was forever ago.
- 1988, Anne Tyler, Breathing Lessons, Chapter 1
- (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[edit]
- In the United Kingdom and most of the Commonwealth, the spelling for ever may be used instead of forever for the senses "for all time" and "for a long time". In Canada and the United States, generally only forever is used, regardless of sense.
Synonyms[edit]
- always
- continually
- eternally
- evermore
- for good
- forevermore
- for ever more
- forever and a day
- incessantly
- until Kingdom come
- permanently
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
for all time, for all eternity; for an infinite amount of time
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(colloquially) for a very long time
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(colloquially) for an excessively long time
(colloquially) constantly or frequently
Noun[edit]
forever (plural forevers)
- An extremely long time.
- I haven't seen him in forever!
- It took me forever to make up my mind.
- Don't spend forever on the phone!
- 2001 September, Michael Knisley, “The Braves' last stand”, in 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.
- (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[edit]
- 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 Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Adjective[edit]
forever (not comparable)
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English compound words
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɛvə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ɛvə(ɹ)/3 syllables
- English lemmas
- English adverbs
- English uncomparable adverbs
- English terms with quotations
- English colloquialisms
- English hyperboles
- English terms with usage examples
- en:Infinity
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English adjectives
- English uncomparable adjectives
- English duration adverbs
- English frequency adverbs
- en:Time