or
1(used to connect words, phrases, or clauses representing alternatives): books or magazines; to be or not to be.
(used to connect alternative terms for the same thing): the Hawaiian, or Sandwich, Islands.
(used in correlation): either … or; or … or; whether … or.
(used to correct or rephrase what was previously said): His autobiography, or rather memoirs, will soon be ready for publication.
otherwise; or else: Be here on time, or we'll leave without you.
Logic. the connective used in disjunction.
Origin of or
1usage note For or
Words that may be confused with or
Other definitions for or (2 of 8)
Origin of or
2Other definitions for or (3 of 8)
the tincture, or metal, gold: represented either by gold or by yellow.
of the tincture, or metal, gold: a lion or.
Origin of or
3Other definitions for OR (4 of 8)
a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when either or both operands are positive.
Origin of OR
4Other definitions for OR (5 of 8)
Law. on (one's own) recognizance.
operating room.
operations research.
Oregon (approved especially for use with zip code).
owner's risk.
Other definitions for -or (6 of 8)
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).
Origin of -or
6usage note For -or
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.
Other definitions for -or (7 of 8)
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 -er1, 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.
Origin of -or
7Other definitions for O.R. (8 of 8)
owner's risk.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use or in a sentence
“C O U R D O R O Y,” he said, saying each letter and then proudly declaring the word.
Here he appealed to a Dutch gentleman who could speak English, and wrote down the name, W-o-r-s-f-o-l-d.
A Visit to Java | W. Basil WorsfoldFrom O, in the centre of the slit, let a perpendicular O R be imagined drawn upon the retina.
Six Lectures on Light | John TyndallI see that Mark Hanna has donated two millions to be spent in buying ice-cream and ginger snaps for the w-o-r-k-i-n-g-m-a-n.
Jiglets | Walter JonesNow Tom tops another fence, rising like a rocket and dropping like a bird; still 'F—o—o—r—rard!'
Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour | R. S. Surtees
Bobby stepped forward, drew a baton be-ribboned like those carried by the nominating committee of the M. O. R.
The Girls of Central High | Gertrude W. Morrison
British Dictionary definitions for or (1 of 6)
/ (ɔː, unstressed ə) /
used to join alternatives: apples or pears; apples or pears or cheese; apples, pears, or cheese
used to join rephrasings of the same thing: to serve in the army, or rather to fight in the army; twelve, or a dozen
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
one or two a few
or else See else (def. 3)
a poetic word for either or whether as the first element in correlatives, with or also preceding the second alternative
Origin of or
1- See also exclusive or, inclusive or
British Dictionary definitions for or (2 of 6)
/ (ɔː) archaic /
(subordinating; foll by ever or ere) before; when
before
Origin of or
2British Dictionary definitions for or (3 of 6)
/ (ɔː) /
(usually postpositive) heraldry of the metal gold
Origin of or
3British Dictionary definitions for OR (4 of 6)
operations research
Oregon
military other ranks
British Dictionary definitions for -or (5 of 6)
a person or thing that does what is expressed by the verb: actor; conductor; generator; sailor
Origin of -or
5British Dictionary definitions for -or (6 of 6)
indicating state, condition, or activity: terror; error
the US spelling of -our
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
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