or

[ awr; unstressed er ]

conjunction

(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

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; cf. ay¹, whether

usage note For or

See and/or, either.

Words that may be confused with or

oar, o'er, or , ore

Words Nearby or

Other definitions for or (2 of 8)

or²

[ awr ]

preposition, conjunctionChiefly Irish, Scot., and English.

before; ere.

Origin of or

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”; see ere

Other definitions for or (3 of 8)

or³

[ awr ]

noun

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

adjective

of the tincture, or metal, gold: a lion or.

Origin of or

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

Other definitions for OR (4 of 8)

OR¹

[ awr ]

noun

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

Origin of OR

⁴

1940–45

Other definitions for OR (5 of 8)

OR²

abbreviation

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)

-or¹

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

⁶

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

usage note For -or

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.

Other definitions for -or (7 of 8)

-or²

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

⁷

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; cf. -eur

Other definitions for O.R. (8 of 8)

O.R.

abbreviation

owner's risk.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use or in a sentence

As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy | Michael Tomasky | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Winners are solely responsible for any and all federal, state, and local taxes and/or fees that may be incurred.
The Daily Beast Company LLC The New Alphas Sweepstakes Official Rules | | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Winners will be solely responsible for any and all local, state, and federal taxes, and/or fees that may be incurred.
The Daily Beast Company LLC The New Alphas Sweepstakes Official Rules | | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Why aren't you as handsome and/or Canadian as Justin Bieber?
Justin Bieber Isn’t Even 21, Yet Makes More Money Than Meryl Streep | Amy Zimmerman | November 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This band is different from the rock groups that go in for charismatic lighting and sing of love and/or sex.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael's Talking Heads Obsession | Pauline Kael | November 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

His name was Lefty something-or-other, and he was about the sneakiest stool the department had.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 | Various
Brass—or-molu—gilt platinum to give it weight; this is from Birmingham, not from Australia, nor nature.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend | Charles Reade
He wuz very peart and sassy, and it was take-it-or-leave-it-and-be-plaguey- quick-about-it all the time.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6) | John McElroy
Meanwhile the whale had made what appeared to be a grand and final neck-or-nothing rush in the direction of the shore.
The Norsemen in the West | R.M. Ballantyne
Amatory, am′at-or-i, adj. relating to or causing love: affectionate.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) | Various

British Dictionary definitions for or (1 of 6)

or¹

/ (ɔː, unstressed ə) /

conjunction(coordinating)

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

C13: contraction of other, used to introduce an alternative, changed (through influence of either) from Old English oththe; compare Old High German odar (German oder)

See also exclusive or, inclusive or

British Dictionary definitions for or (2 of 6)

or²

/ (ɔː) archaic /

conjunction

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

preposition

before

Origin of or

Old English ār soon; related to Old Norse ār early, Old High German ēr

British Dictionary definitions for or (3 of 6)

or³

/ (ɔː) /

adjective

(usually postpositive) heraldry of the metal gold

Origin of or

C16: via French from Latin aurum gold

British Dictionary definitions for OR (4 of 6)

abbreviation for

operations research
Oregon

military other ranks

British Dictionary definitions for -or (5 of 6)

-or¹

suffix forming nouns

a person or thing that does what is expressed by the verb: actor; conductor; generator; sailor

Origin of -or

⁵

via Old French -eur, -eor, from Latin -or or -ātor

British Dictionary definitions for -or (6 of 6)

-or²

suffix forming nouns

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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