every

déterminant

1. 1

   All of a countable group (considered individually), without exception.

   Every person in the room stood and cheered.

   She watches my every move.

   At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors.[…]In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.

   Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.

2. 2

   Denotes equal spacing at a stated interval, or a proportion corresponding to such a spacing.

   We stopped for refreshments every ten miles.

   The alarm is going off every few minutes.

   Every third bead was red, and the rest were blue. The sequence was thus red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue etc.

   Decimation originally meant the execution of every tenth soldier in a unit; that is, ten per cent of soldiers were killed.

3. 3

   Denotes an abundance of something.

   We wish you every happiness in the future.

   He shows every sign of becoming an excellent player. I have every confidence in him.

   There is every reason why we shouldn't.

   The police will make every effort to trace the missing girl.