else

American  

[els] / ɛls /

adjective

1. other than the persons or things mentioned or implied.

   What else could I have done?

2. in addition to the persons or things mentioned or implied.

   Who else was there?

3. other or in addition (used in the possessive following an indefinite pronoun).

   someone else's money.

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adverb

1. if not (usually preceded byor ).

   It's a macaw, or else I don't know birds.

2. in some other way; otherwise.

   How else could I have acted?

3. at some other place or time.

   Where else might I find this book?

idioms

1. or else, or suffer the consequences.

   Do what I say, or else.

else British  

/ ɛls /

determiner

1. in addition; more

   there is nobody else here

2. other; different

   where else could he be?

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adverb

1. 1. if not, then

      go away or else I won't finish my work today

   2. or something terrible will result: used as a threat

      sit down, or else!

else More Idioms  

1. see in someone's (else's) shoes; or else; something else; something else again.

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Grammar

The possessive forms of somebody else, everybody else, etc., are somebody else's, everybody else's, the forms somebody's else, everybody's else being considered nonstandard in present-day English. One exception is the possessive for who else, which is occasionally formed as whose else when a noun does not immediately follow: Is this book yours? Whose else could it be? No, it's somebody else's.

Etymology

Origin of else

before 1000; Middle English, Old English elles (cognate with Old High German elles ), equivalent to ell- other (cognate with Gothic aljis, Latin alius, Old Irish aile Greek állos, Armenian ayl other; cf. eldritch) + -es -s 1

Example Sentences

"Verhoeven is going to be a handful but unfortunately for him he's fighting one of the best to ever do it. So I can't see anything else other than an Usyk victory."

From BBC • May 23, 2026

Anyone from another part of the world or even another state could spend time grooming someone else over the internet or through social media, Speckhard said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

Almost everyone else got a fraction of what they asked for, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

It couldn’t explain whether it wanted to count the mean or the median or the margin or error or something else.

From Slate • May 23, 2026

“We’re half a block from the main police headquarters. And yet I don’t know where else to suggest.”

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom