Britannica Dictionary definition of EVERY
1
:
including each person or thing in a group or series
-
I heard every word you said.
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He devotes every spare moment to his hobby.
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His every move was carefully watched.
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She's beautiful in every way/respect.
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Ceramics of every kind were on display.
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We have every reason to believe (that) he's telling the truth. [=we have no reason not to believe him]
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He looked closely at every last one [=every one] of them.
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They were questioning every little thing [=everything] she said.
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He provided them with guidance every step of the way. [=throughout the entire process]
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Every time [=whenever] I go there I learn something new.
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We're making every effort [=we're doing all that we can] to solve the problem.
2
a
—
used to describe how often some repeated activity, event, etc., happens or is done
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She drives to town every few days.
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Every day she starts work at 8 a.m.
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The fair is held every other/second year. [=the fair is held one year, not held the next year, held the following year, and so on]
b
—
used to describe how far apart the things in a series of things are placed from each other
c
—
used in phrases like one in every three to describe how common something is
at every turn
—
see 2turn
each and every
—
see 1each
every man for himself
—
see 1man
every now and then/again
or
every once in a while
or
every so often
:
sometimes but not often
:
from time to time
:
occasionally
-
We still see each other every now and then.
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They would get together every now and again.
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Every so often she'd come in to check on him.
every which way
US, informal