From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoror /ə; strong ɔː $ ər strong ɔːr/ ●●● S1 W1 conjunction 1 XXpossibilities/choices used between two words or phrases to show that either of two things is possible, or used before the last in a list of possibilities or choices Shall we go out to the cinema or stay at home? You can have ham, cheese, or tuna.... or anything/something spoken (=or something of the same kind) Would you like a coffee or something? She wasn’t involved in drugs or anything like that. Grapes are usually either green or red. He’s going to do it whether we like it or not. You must do the job yourself or else employ someone else to do it. → either12 NOTand not used after a negative verb when you mean not one thing and also not another thing He doesn’t have a television or a video. Sonia never cleans or even offers to wash the dishes.3 WARNavoiding bad result used to say that something bad could happen if someone does not do a particular thing Wear your coat or you’ll catch cold. Hurry up or we’ll be late. I had to defend myself or else he’d have killed me. You’d better hand over the money, or else (=used to threaten someone).4 ADDcorrection used to correct something that you have said or to give more specific information It’s going to snow tomorrow, or that’s what the forecast says. John picked us up in his car, or rather his dad’s car which he’d borrowed. We’ve cleaned it all up, or at least most of it.5 REASONproof used to prove that something must be true, by saying that the situation would be different if it was not true He must be at home, or his car wouldn’t be here. It’s obviously not urgent or else they would have called us straight away.6 uncertain amountsAPPROXIMATELY used to show that you are guessing at an amount or number because you cannot be exact The boy was three or four years of age. I saw Donald leaving a minute or two ago. There’s a motel a mile or so down the road (=about a mile or possibly a little more).THESAURUSor conjunction used between two possibilities or choices, or before the last one in a list of possibilities or choicesDon’t get the chemicals on your hands or your clothes.Payment can be made by cash, cheque or credit card.alternatively adverb used when giving another choice apart from the one you have already mentionedUse a pair of scissors or, alternatively, a very sharp knife.You can go up into the mountains. Alternatively, you can stroll around one of Switzerland’s delightful cities.on the one had ... on the other (hand) used when giving two very different ideas or opinions about something, especially when they need to be balanced against each otherOn the one hand, I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but on the other, I don’t want to be miserable for the rest of my life.
Examples from the Corpus
or else• He would make that clear, or else he would have no part in the raid.• He seemed to want to help them or else his plan was much deeper than they knew.• The bolder innovation comes direct by rescript from the emperor or else is a result of his influence.• All the characters would find decisions much easier if evil were unquestionably either just Boethian or else just Manichaean.• He was bright and alive, and made those around him live more vividly or else move on.• Some of them continued to pursue him, or else Orestes thought that they did.• The old masters merely dammed streams and created lakes to break up the landscape or else reflect its beauty.• He thought you had to be a model or a dancer, or else something in showbiz.or else• He would make that clear, or else he would have no part in the raid.• He seemed to want to help them or else his plan was much deeper than they knew.• The bolder innovation comes direct by rescript from the emperor or else is a result of his influence.• All the characters would find decisions much easier if evil were unquestionably either just Boethian or else just Manichaean.• He was bright and alive, and made those around him live more vividly or else move on.• Some of them continued to pursue him, or else Orestes thought that they did.• The old masters merely dammed streams and created lakes to break up the landscape or else reflect its beauty.• He thought you had to be a model or a dancer, or else something in showbiz.or at least• Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.• One notes, or at least at times suspects, a kind of failure of heart, a loss of nerve.• Illustrations include many paintings by the pre-eminent, or at least inescapable, Civil War artist Mort Kuntsler.• Bill and Ben's world was an innocent one, or at least it seemed that way.• The origin of this Neolithic population, or at least, its economy, is also difficult to determine for certain.• Behind him the mill was silenced, or at least overpowered.• Lastly, they want to give tax advantages to causes deemed worthy, or at least popular.• What keeps these young people and their parents at home is crime, or at least the fear of it. or else• He would make that clear, or else he would have no part in the raid.• He seemed to want to help them or else his plan was much deeper than they knew.• The bolder innovation comes direct by rescript from the emperor or else is a result of his influence.• All the characters would find decisions much easier if evil were unquestionably either just Boethian or else just Manichaean.• He was bright and alive, and made those around him live more vividly or else move on.• Some of them continued to pursue him, or else Orestes thought that they did.• The old masters merely dammed streams and created lakes to break up the landscape or else reflect its beauty.• He thought you had to be a model or a dancer, or else something in showbiz.a mile or so• One crooked little shadow, flickering across stones and scrubland, made rapid progress for a quarter of a mile or so.• It is best to start with a very short drive, just a mile or so and back home.• There's a village a mile or so away.• He had sent the young sports-car-driver to ring for the police and ambulance at a phone-box a mile or so back.• In the afternoon, women would arrive in carriages from the great house a mile or so distant.• But the gang had already moved on to another pub just a mile or so down the road.• After a mile or so the banks closed in and the gradient increased ... Inspection followed.-or-or /ə $ ər/ suffix [in nouns] 1 PERSON/PEOPLEsomeone who does something or is doing something an actor (=someone who acts) an inventor a translator2 something that does something a calculator (=a machine which calculates) a word processor → -er2, -arORORthe written abbreviation of OregonFrom Longman Business DictionaryOROR abbreviation for OFFICIAL RECEIVER; OPERATIONAL RESEARCH; OWNER'S RISKOrigin or Old English oththe -or Latin 