either-or

American

[ee-ther-awr, ahy-ther-] / ˈi ðərˈɔr, ˈaɪ ðər- /

adjective

allowing no equivocation; being limited in choice to two options.

It's an either-or situation—you pay the bill or you lose the company's services.

either-or British

adjective

presenting an unavoidable need to choose between two alternatives

an either-or situation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of either-or

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the siloes of social media, all things must be either-or; there is no “and.”

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

I think, culturally, we have this knee-jerk habit where everything is either-or.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

“This is not an either-or situation,” Anenberg says.

From Scientific American • Sep. 22, 2023

“A Catholic cannot think either-or and reduce everything to polarization. The essence of what is Catholic is both-and,” he said.

From Washington Times • Nov. 28, 2022

“Mia Oh-My- Uh. I’m not giving anything up. It’s not an either-or proposition. Teaching or music. Jeans or suits. Music will always be a part of my life.”

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023