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• or
  or

  conjunction

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

  noun

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

  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 ).
• O.R.
  O.R.

  abbreviation

  owner's risk.

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 /

preposition

Chiefly Irish, Scot., and English.

1. before; ere.

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or ³ 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.

OR ⁴ 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 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 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 ⁷ 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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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; cf. ay ¹, whether

Origin of or²

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

Origin of or³

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

Origin of OR⁴

1940–45

Origin of -or⁶

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

Origin of -or⁷

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

or OR -or O.R.

The series debuted in 2018 and is now tied at four wins apiece with five of the games being decided by a touchdown or less.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

She didn’t bring goggles or even a big coat to survive the cold, dusty nights.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

“This can look like adding measurable numbers to show your impact, and including any achievements you’ve earned like awards or certifications.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Skincare enthusiasts may be familiar with the double-cleanse routine for the face: An oil-based cleanser or balm followed by a water-based cleanser.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

When it's too dry or mixed in the wrong formula, almost anything can set it off, without warning.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Last Thursday's arrest follows that of a 23-year-old Thai citizen in July, also caught at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, who was attempting to smuggle 418 parrot eggs.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

This happened in Minneapolis on opening night, this happened in Los Angeles, in Portland, OR, in Atlanta, in New York City, in Chicago.

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

L’Oreal OR -6.32%decrease; red down pointing triangle shares dropped after the French cosmetics company reported third-quarter sales that fell short of analyst expectations on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

In a separate incident, the bodies of seven people carried away by flood water have been found in the province's OR Tambo district.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2025

She shakes her head, looking over at the clock hanging above the OR doors.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Ms Worrall redirects patients who come into the emergency department, sending them to a pharmacy or the GP if it is the most appropriate place -or to other areas within the hospital.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2023

Approximately 0.5% of Etsy's active sellers -or around 2,700 merchants- had their payments delayed on Friday related to SVB's collapse, according to Etsy.

From Reuters ● Mar. 13, 2023

Maurina says he knows journalists need to go back to the basics to survive -or revive - in small-town America.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 10, 2019

Does the perfect goal exist outside of a match's context, or does the effect it has on the match -or season, or tournament - act as some sort of multiplication factor?

From BBC ● May 23, 2015

Haymitch is our only hope, but nothing is forthcoming, either from lack of money -everything will cost an exorbitant amount -or because he's dissatisfied with our performance.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

I, for one, would line up to buy that first book written not under the name O.R.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2023

Jeremiah Watkins — I was on stage in the O.R. and there were like, eight audience members.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2022

Passengers wait to board international flights, amidst the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron, at O.R.

From Reuters ● Dec. 15, 2021

The patient was moved to the O.R., and a cardiologist inserted a thick needle into the fluid-filled sac.

From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2021

Well"—and Barstow stood off and laughed—"if I have to diagram things for you, the money interests behind the O.R.

From O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 by Edison Marshall