now or never
/ˌnaʊ‿əɹ ˈnɛvəɹ/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.66 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
At this sole opportunity or time, or not at all.
Example Sentences
- "[A]s you tender the welfare of your country, I entreat you not to forget or delay so public-spirited a work. Now or never is the time."
- ""Come off, now or never," cried Amyas, clutching him by the arm, and dragging him away like a child."
- "This was the moment when he must put his fortune to the test, to win or lose it all. Now or never must the balloon go up."
- "It's now or never / Come hold me tight / Kiss me my darling / Be mine tonight / Tomorrow will be too late / It's now or never / My love won't wait"
- "Mamma mia, even if I say / "Bye-bye", leave me now or never / Mamma mia, it's a game we play / Bye-bye doesn't mean forever"
- "There had been a sense of now or never about this semi-final for United. Another elimination would be a fifth last-four reverse under the manager and serious questions would be asked regarding their ability to break the psychological barrier that separates also-rans from winners."
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌnaʊ‿əɹ ˈnɛvəɹ/
- British English: /ˌnaʊ‿ə ˈnɛvə/