or

¹ American  

[awr, er] / ɔr, ər /

conjunction

1. (used to connect words, phrases, or clauses representing alternatives).

   books or magazines; to be or not to be.

2. (used to connect alternative terms for the same thing).

   the Hawaiian, or Sandwich, Islands.

3. (used in correlation).

   either … or; or … or; whether … or.

4. (used to correct or rephrase what was previously said).

   His autobiography, or rather memoirs, will soon be ready for publication.

5. otherwise; or else.

   Be here on time, or we'll leave without you.

6. Logic.  the connective used in disjunction.

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OR ² American  

[awr] / ɔr /

noun

1. a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when either or both operands are positive.

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-or ³ American  

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, directly or through Anglo-French, usually denoting a condition or property of things or persons (ardor; honor; horror; liquor; pallor; squalor; torpor; tremor ), sometimes corresponding to qualitative adjectives ending in -id4 (horrid; pallid; squalid; torpid ). A few other words that originally ended in different suffixes have been assimilated to this group (behavior; demeanor; glamour ).

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or ⁴ American  

[awr] / ɔr /

preposition

Chiefly Irish, Scot., and English.

1. before; ere.

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OR ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Law.  on (one's own) recognizance.

2. operating room.

3. operations research.

4. Oregon (approved especially for use with zip code).

5. owner's risk.

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-or ⁶ American  

1. a suffix forming animate or inanimate agent nouns, occurring originally in loanwords from Anglo-French (debtor; lessor; tailor; traitor ); it now functions in English as an orthographic variant of -er, usually joined to bases of Latin origin, in imitation of borrowed Latin words containing the suffix -tor (and its alternant-sor ). The association with Latinate vocabulary may impart a learned look to the resultant formations, which often denote machines or other less tangible entities which behave in an agentlike way: descriptor; plexor; projector; repressor; sensor; tractor .

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or ⁷ American  

[awr] / ɔr /

noun

1. the tincture, or metal, gold: represented either by gold or by yellow.

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adjective

1. of the tincture, or metal, gold.

   a lion or.

O.R. ⁸ American  

abbreviation

1. owner's risk.

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or ¹ British  

/ ə, ɔː /

conjunction

1. used to join alternatives

   apples or pears

   apples or pears or cheese

   apples, pears, or cheese

2. used to join rephrasings of the same thing

   to serve in the army, or rather to fight in the army

   twelve, or a dozen

3. used to join two alternatives when the first is preceded by either or whether

   whether it rains or not we'll be there

   either yes or no

4. a few

5. See else

6. a poetic word for either or whether as the first element in correlatives, with or also preceding the second alternative

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OR ² British  

abbreviation

1. operations research

2. Oregon

3. military other ranks

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-or ³ British  

suffix

1. indicating state, condition, or activity

   terror

   error

2. the US spelling of -our

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or ⁴ British  

/ ɔː /

conjunction

1. (subordinating; foll by ever or ere) before; when

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preposition

1. before

-or ⁵ British  

suffix

1. a person or thing that does what is expressed by the verb

   actor

   conductor

   generator

   sailor

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or ⁶ British  

/ ɔː /

adjective

1. (usually postpositive) heraldry of the metal gold

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Spelling

While the -or spelling of the suffix -or1 is characteristic of American English, there are occasional exceptions, as in advertising copy, where spellings such as colour and favour seek to suggest the allure and exclusiveness of a product. The spelling glamour is somewhat more common than glamor —not actually an instance of -or1, but conformed to it orthographically in the course of the word's history. In British English -our is still the spelling in most widespread use, -or being commonly retained when certain suffixes are added, as in color ation, honor ary, honor ific, labor ious, odor iferous. The English of the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) tends to mirror British practice, whereas Canadian English shares with the U.S. a preference for -or but with -our spellings as freely used variants. The suffix -or2 is now spelled -or in all forms of English, with the exception of the word savior, often spelled saviour in the U.S. as well as in Britain, especially with reference to Jesus.

Usage

See and/or, either.

Etymology

Origin of or¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, originally the second, unstressed member of correlative other … or, earlier other … other, Old English āther … oththe, ā-hwæther … oththe, for oththe … oththe either … or; ay ¹, whether

Origin of OR²

1940–45

Origin of -or³

From Latin; in some cases continuing Middle English -our, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin -ōr-, stem of -or, earlier -os

Origin of or⁴

First recorded before 950; Middle English er, ar, or, Old English ār “before, soon, early”; cognate with Old Norse ār “early, anciently, of yore,” Gothic air “soon, early”; compare Old English ǣr “before, soon”; ere

Origin of -or⁶

Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French -o ( u ) r < Latin -ōr-, stem of -or, extracted from -tōr -tor by construing the t as the ending of the past participle (hence Latin factor maker, equivalent to fac ( ere ) to make + -tor, was analyzed as fact ( us ), past participle of facere + -or ); merged with Anglo-French, Old French -ëo ( u ) r < Latin -ātōr- -ator; -eur

Origin of or⁷

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin aurum “gold”

Example Sentences

The U.K. government said the extra 25% spending on new treatments would be the country’s first major increase in over two decades, allowing the approval of new medicines that previously might have been declined on cost-effectiveness grounds, such as certain cancer treatments or therapies for rare diseases.

From The Wall Street Journal

The pharmaceutical industry in the U.K. is also battling a high clawback tax under which as much as a quarter or more of revenues from high-value drugs are given back to the government, compared with a far lower level in most European countries, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

From The Wall Street Journal

Addressing a recurring theme, the “great moral conundrum” of how the British should have dealt with fanatical opponents who refused to surrender, Mr. Hart observes that while Britons admired indomitable defiance in their own soldiers, it was a trait “they were not willing to condone or tolerate in others.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“These violations are not about withholding wages or failing to pay partners, but as part of the agreement, some current and former partners will receive payouts. This compensation is about compliance, not unpaid wages.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Though forecasters are not concerned about fire risks, those driving on elevated roads or in high-profile vehicles should take care.

From Los Angeles Times