never

1. 1
   at no timeadverb

   At no time, on no occasion, or not ever up to now.

   She never raises her voice, even when she is angry.

   The store never opens before nine in the morning.

   UsageBefore the main verb but after be or a helping verb: she never calls, he is never late, I have never been.

   Oppositealways, ever

2. 2
   adverbcolloquial

   Used colloquially as a negative particle to deny a specific past action, equivalent to 'did not.'

   She never broke the vase; the cat knocked it off the shelf.

   We never heard the alarm go off last night.

   Note

   Unlike the "at no time" meaning, this use denies one event, not a lifetime: I never did it means only that I didn't do it on that occasion. It can stand alone as a retort (I never!). It can also carry disbelief, as in E. W. Hornung's A Thief in the Night (1905): You're never going to break in? Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • E. W. Hornung wrote A Thief in the Night. gutenberg.org
   • A Thief in the Night was first published in 1905. openlibrary.org
   • The exact question 'You're never going to break in?' occurs in the book; Bunny Manders addresses Raffles. gutenberg.org
3. 3
   defiant nointerjection

   An emphatic refusal expressing defiance; an absolute and resolute 'no.'

   Surrender the castle? Never!

   "You will obey me." "Never," she said, lifting her chin.

   Similarno

   Oppositeyes

   Note

   A reply to an order or a demand, flung back as a complete refusal: Surrender the castle? Never! It usually stands alone with an exclamation mark, and it can be repeated for force. A delighted Never! in answer to good news is a different, British use that expresses surprise, not refusal.

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