Definition of “forever” - English Dictionary

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“forever” in English

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foreveradverb

UK also for ever uk ​ /fəˈre.vər/ us ​ /fɔːˈrev.ɚ/

B1 for all time:

I like the house but I don't imagine I'll live there forever.

B2 for an extremely long time or too much time:

We'd better walk a bit quicker - it's going to take forever if we go at this pace.

› very often:

She's forever telling him she's going to leave him but she never actually does.

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Grammar

Always: meaningAlways can mean ‘on every occasion’, ‘forever’ or ‘very frequently’. In these meanings we use it with simple tense forms: …
Always with continuous verb formsWe can use always with continuous verb forms to refer to regular events or states, especially ones which are problematic or which we do not like or want: …
Always: positionWe most commonly use always in mid position, between the subject and main verb, after the modal verb or first auxiliary verb, or after main verb be: …
Always with can and couldWe often use always with can and could to talk about possible solutions to problems: …
As alwaysWe use as always to talk about one event which is seen as typical: …
Always, for good or for ever?When we talk about things which will be permanent, we normally use for good, or, more formally, for ever (sometimes written as forever). We do not normally say for always: …

foreveradjective [ before noun ]

› existing or happening for all time in the future:

Today, more than 500,000 US children wait in foster care for a forever home.

(Definition of “forever” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“forever” in American English

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foreveradverb [ not gradable ]

us ​ /fərˈev·ər, fɔr-/

› for all time, without end:

Nobody lives forever.

› Forever can also mean always or frequently:

She was forever late for appointments.
He was forever saying that he’d pay me back, but he never did.

(Definition of “forever” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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