or else
Idioms-
Otherwise, in different circumstances, as in Present your case now, or else you won't have a chance . [c. 1300]
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Regardless of any extenuating circumstances, no matter what, as in Be there on time or else! [Second half of 1800s]
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.
My mother came out with me, Louis came out with me, my sister came out with me, and it was incredibly true: I had to be working or else I would die.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
He added: "We need to understand how this breach could occur, or else risk it being repeated."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
If we must open ourselves up to books, are there any that either ameliorate this danger, or else make reading them worthwhile?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Either shares of semiconductors and other AI infrastructure plays would be up, or else it would be the “Magnificent Seven” and everything else.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
Chase began to think they were walking backward instead of forward, or else that the GPS was wrong.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
