always

[ awl-weyz, -weez ]
See synonyms for always on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. every time; on every occasion; without exception: He always works on Saturday.

  2. all the time; continuously; uninterruptedly: There is always some pollution in the air.

  1. forever: Will you always love me?

  2. in any event; at any time; if necessary: She can always move back with her parents.

Origin of always

1
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English alwayes, alleweyes, alles weis, alteration of alle wey alway

synonym study For always

2, 3. Both always and ever refer to uniform or perpetual continuance. Always often expresses or implies repetition as producing the uniformity or continuance: The sun always rises in the east. Ever implies an unchanging sameness throughout: Natural law is ever to be reckoned with.

Other words for always

Words Nearby always

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use always in a sentence

  • This is a feature by means of which it is always possible to distinguish the Great Horsetail from any other species.

    How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
  • In the drawing-room things went on much as they always do in country drawing-rooms in the hot weather.

  • You see, I'd always thought of him as the boy whom Great-aunt Lucia described having seen.

    The Boarded-Up House | Augusta Huiell Seaman
  • Many British Ferns evidence a marked tendency to “sport,” and this is a fact which the beginner should always bear in mind.

    How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
  • You see, they always butter their chairs so that they won't stick fast when they sit down.

    Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. Carryl

British Dictionary definitions for always

always

/ (ˈɔːlweɪz, -wɪz) /


adverb
  1. without exception; on every occasion; every time: he always arrives on time

  2. continually; repeatedly

  1. in any case: you could always take a day off work

  2. informal for ever; without end: our marriage is for always

Origin of always

1
C13 alles weiss, from Old English ealne weg, literally: all the way; see all, way
  • Also (archaic): alway

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012