never
Not at any time
Not at any time; not ever.
never [verb]
- I have never been to Japan.
- She never calls me anymore.
- He never eats meat.
- We never saw him again after that day.
- They never agreed on the issue.
- I never eat fish.
- He never goes to school on Sunday.
- We never play soccer at night.
- She never drinks coffee.
- They never watch TV in the morning.
Not in any case
Used to say something will not happen in any situation.
never [verb] under [conditions]
- I would never lie to you.
- She will never agree to those terms.
- He’ll never change his mind.
- We could never afford such a car.
- I will never eat that food.
- He will never play with us.
- She will never go there.
- We will never buy this car.
Expression of surprise or doubt
Used to show you are surprised or do not believe what someone said.
- You won the lottery? Never!
- "I met a celebrity yesterday." "Never!"
- "He quit his job." "Never!"
- "I saw a ghost." "Never!"
- "She is moving to Paris." "Never!"
- "They are getting married." "Never!"
- Base: never
- Plural: nevers
never mind
1Forget it; it’s not important
Used to tell someone to ignore what you just said or asked.
- "What time is it?" "Oh, never mind, I found my phone."
- I started to explain, but then said, "Never mind."
now or never
1Act immediately or lose chance forever
Used to say that something must be done right now or it will be too late.
- It’s now or never if we want those tickets.
- This is your chance—now or never!
better late than never
1Doing something late is better than not at all
It is better to do something late than to not do it at all.
- He finally apologized—better late than never.
- They arrived after the movie started, but better late than never.
- I know I’m sending this card weeks after your birthday, but better late than never.
never again
1Not happening in the future again
Used to say you will not do something another time in the future.
- Never again will I eat there!
- That was terrible—never again!
- He promised never again to be late.
- After that trip, I said, "Never again."
you never know
1express uncertainty about events
Used to say that something is possible, even if it seems unlikely.
- We might win — you never know.
- You never know what could happen.
you never know
2Anything can happen; uncertain future
Used to say something might happen, even if it seems unlikely.
- Take your camera—you never know what you might see.
- We might get lucky—you never know.