even|tu|al|ly ◆◆◇ / I ve ntʃuəli/
1 ADV [ADV before v] Eventually means in the end, especially after a lot of delays, problems, or arguments. □ Eventually, the army caught up with him in Latvia. □ The flight eventually got away six hours late.
2 ADV [ADV before v] Eventually means at the end of a situation or process or as the final result of it. □ Eventually your child will leave home to lead her own life as a fully independent adult. □ She sees the bar as a starting point and eventually plans to run her own chain of country inns. SYNONYMS eventually ADV 1
finally: The food finally arrived at the end of last week and distribution began.
in the end: I toyed with the idea of calling the police, but in the end I didn't.
ultimately: …a tough but ultimately worthwhile struggle.
ever ◆◆◆ /e və r / Ever is an adverb which you use to add emphasis in negative sentences, commands, questions, and conditional structures. 1 ADV [ADV before v, ADV adv] Ever means at any time. It is used in questions and negative statements. □ I'm not sure I'll ever trust people again. □ Neither of us had ever skied. □ Have you ever experienced failure? □ I don't know if you ever read any of his books.
2 ADV [in questions, ADV before v] You use ever in expressions such as ' did you ever ' and ' have you ever ' to express surprise or shock at something you have just seen, heard, or experienced, especially when you expect people to agree with you. [EMPHASIS ] □ Have you ever seen anything like it? □ Did you ever hear anyone sound so peculiar?
3 ADV You use ever after comparatives and superlatives to emphasize the degree to which something is true or when you are comparing a present situation with the past or the future. [EMPHASIS ] □ She's got a great voice and is singing better than ever. □ Japan is wealthier and more powerful than ever before. □ He feels better than he has ever felt before. □ This is the most awful evening I can ever remember.
4 ADV [ADV adj/adv] You use ever to say that something happens more all the time. □ They grew ever further apart.
5 ADV [ADV before v] You can use ever for emphasis after 'never'. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ I can never, ever, forgive myself.
6 ADV You use ever in questions beginning with words such as 'why', 'when', and 'who' when you want to emphasize your surprise or shock. [EMPHASIS ] □ Why ever didn't you tell me? □ Who ever heard of a thing like that?
7 PHRASE If something has been the case ever since a particular time, it has been the case all the time from then until now. □ He's been there ever since you left! □ Ever since we moved last year, I worry a lot about whether I can handle this new job. ● ADV [ADV after v] Ever is also an adverb. □ I simply gave in to him, and I've regretted it ever since.
8 ADV [ADV such/so ] You use ever in the expressions ever such and ever so to emphasize that someone or something has a particular quality, especially when you are expressing enthusiasm or gratitude. [BRIT , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ When I met Derek he was ever such a good dancer. □ I like him ever so much. □ I'm ever so grateful.
9 → see also forever
10 PHRASE You use the expression all someone ever does when you want to emphasize that they do the same thing all the time, and this annoys you. [EMPHASIS ] □ All she ever does is whinge and complain.
11 PHRASE You say as ever in order to indicate that something or someone's behaviour is not unusual because it is like that all the time or very often. □ As ever, the meals are primarily fish-based.
12 hardly ever → see hardly
ever- /e və r -/ COMB You use ever in adjectives such as ever-increasing and ever-present , to show that something exists or continues all the time. □ …the ever-increasing traffic on our roads. □ …an ever-changing world of medical information.
ever|green /e və r griːn/ (evergreens ) N‑COUNT An evergreen is a tree or bush which has green leaves all the year round. □ Holly, like ivy and mistletoe, is an evergreen. ● ADJ [usu ADJ n] Evergreen is also an adjective. □ Plant evergreen shrubs around the end of the month.
ever|lasting /e və r lɑː st I ŋ, -læ st-/ ADJ Something that is everlasting never comes to an end. □ …a message of peace and everlasting life.
e ver mo re also evermore ADV [ADV with v, oft for ADV ] Ever more means for all the time in the future. □ They will bitterly regret what they have done for ever more. □ The editor's decision is final and shall evermore remain so.
every ◆◆◆ /e vri/
1 DET You use every to indicate that you are referring to all the members of a group or all the parts of something and not only some of them. □ Record every expenditure you make. □ …recipes for every occasion. ● ADJ Every is also an adjective. □ His every utterance will be scrutinized.
2 DET You use every in order to say how often something happens or to indicate that something happens at regular intervals. □ We were made to attend meetings every day. □ A burglary occurs every three minutes in London. □ They meet here every Friday morning.
3 DET You use every in front of a number when you are saying what proportion of people or things something happens to or applies to. □ Human beings spend about eight out of every 24 hours sleeping. □ About one in every 20 people have clinical depression.