forever

[ fawr-ev-er, fer- ]

adverb

1. without ever ending; eternally:

   Like the memory of her laughter, the love for her in our hearts will last forever.

2. continually; incessantly; always:

   He's forever complaining.

noun

1. an endless or seemingly endless period of time:

   It took them forever to make up their minds.

adjective

1. lasting for an endless period of time; permanent:

   The stray dog is staying with us until we can find a forever home for it.

forever

/ fɔːˈrɛvə; fə- /

adverb

1. Alsofor ever without end; everlastingly; eternally
2. at all times; incessantly
3. informal.
   for a very long time

   he went on speaking forever

noun

1. informal.
   as object a very long time

   it took him forever to reply

2. …forever!
   an exclamation expressing support or loyalty

   Scotland forever!

Usage

Forever and for ever can both be used to say that something is without end. For all other meanings, forever is the preferred form

Word History and Origins

Origin of forever¹

First recorded in 1300–50; originally a prepositional phrase for ever

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. forever and a day, eternally; always:

   They pledged to love each other forever and a day.

Example Sentences

Uncle Jesse and Uncle Joey are forever family.

From Salon

At the time, I was obsessed with Marvel comics and action flicks like “Mortal Kombat” and “Batman Forever.”

From Los Angeles Times

“I’ll miss his hugs and kisses and unconditional devotion and advice. Daddy, it is an honor to be your daughter. Your love lives forever,” she wrote on Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times

If Senate Republicans can’t say no to Gaetz, the Department of Justice as we know it will be gone, quite possibly forever.

From Slate

Our phones assume we want to record everything forever, whereas most of the time we’re not actively approaching life that way.

From Slate

Related Words

• always
• endlessly
• eternally
• permanently