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.
By law, a US president must receive Congress' approval within 60 days of notifying lawmakers of military action, or else cease hostilities.
From BBC • May 3, 2026
Most members of his Cabinet were forced out under pressure — fired, in other words — or else they resigned in protest.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
When big tech predicts that everyone will need AI systems to future-proof their businesses, it is effectively telling people to invest in AI, or else.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
The company needs “a compelling new iPhone offering this year,” he said, or else it “could see declining iPhone sales starting at some point in the fourth quarter.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
She seems somehow more reconciled; or else the very subject seems to have become repugnant to her, for when any accidental allusion is made she actually shudders.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
