forever and a day
- idiom
- Archaic
:
para siempre
- After waiting forever and a day, the bus finally arrived.
Examples
-
It felt like the meeting went on forever and a day.
-
They promised to love each other forever and a day.
-
I will love you forever and a day.
-
She waited forever and a day for his return.
-
After waiting forever and a day, the bus finally arrived.
-
It felt like the meeting went on forever and a day.
-
She waited forever and a day for his return.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A period lasting many days or years
∞
1.0
A period that lasts much longer than usual
218
2.9
Stays the same for all time
104
4.8
For a time with no set end
73
2.3
Without stopping for a very long time
62
4.8
To a very great degree without any limit
53
5.2
For all time without end
29
4.8
Happening all the time without stopping
20
7.7
Very much or for a very long time
16
7.8
A time that lasts forever
12
1.4
A very long time with no end
8
6.8
Always from now on
3
8.9
Continues for all future time
3
8.5
For a very long time that seems to never end
1
9.5
For a very long time, often to say something will never happen
1
5.6
Continuing to exist or have effect for a long time
1
7.4
In a way that lasts forever
For a very long time, possibly forever
For a very long time that never ends
A very long time that feels much longer than usual
Antonyms
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The core meaning ('for a very long time') is directly signalled by 'forever' and the phrase 'and a day' functions as an emphatic additive, so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer an intensified duration. However, the construction is a conventionalized hyperbolic idiom whose emphatic force is partly idiomatic rather than purely compositional, so full understanding relies on exposure.
Etymology
Forever and a day may come from people wanting to make forever sound even longer by adding a day, so you imagine endless time plus one extra day. So it is used to mean 'for a very long time'.